Evaluation of Duopath Legionella kit for the rapid identification of Legionella strains isolated from water samples.

Duopath Legionella (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) is a rapid and simple immunochromatographic assay kit for the identification of Legionella species. We evaluated the precision of the kit in identifying 100 strains of Legionella and 35 strains of non-Legionella bacteria isolated from cooling tower and bath water samples. Consequently, of all the Legionella strains tested, 99 strains were judged to be Legionella, and only one strain (Legionella busanensis) was judged to be non-Legionella. All of the 35 non-Legionella strains were judged to be non-Legionella. We therefore conclude that Duopath Legionella is a useful method for the rapid identification of Legionella.

[The efficacy of Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to for peripheral nerve dysfunction in paclitaxel combination chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma].

Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to was first medicated for muscular pain which was called Komuragaeri, and it has been reported that it is effective for peripheral nerve dysfunction such as arthralgia and numbness. Recently, Paclitaxel (T) and Carboplatin (J) combination chemotherapy (TJ chemotherapy) has been a standard first-line chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma. For the arthralgia and muscular pain occurring in TJ chemotherapy, non-steroid-anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Vitamin B12 (VB12) and Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to are the major medications. In this study, we examined twenty-one cases in which arthralgia and muscular pain occurred in TJ chemotherapy (including 16 cases as first-line chemotherapy). In all cases, patients took 7.5 g of Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to orally per day for eight days. We investigated the efficacy of Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to retrospectively with the following results. In nine cases (43%), Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to was effective in reducing pain. Especially in TJ chemotherapy as first-line chemotherapy, Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to was even more effective in reducing pain. We suggested that Paclitaxel combination chemotherapy with Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to taken orally is a more safe and tolerable way to reduce pain in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Human gingival epithelial cells produce chemotactic factors interleukin-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 after stimulation with Porphyromonas gingivalis via toll-like receptor 2.

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of stimulation of human gingival epithelial cells (HGEC) by Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) has not been fully clarified yet. In order to investigate the possible activation of HGEC by Pg through Toll-like receptors (TLRs), we analyzed the production of chemotactic factors and the activated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB). METHODS: The mRNA expression of TLRs and the protein expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in HGEC and gingival tissue were assessed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay and immunohistochemical staining. Primary cultured HGEC (nHGEC) and HGEC transformed by simian virus 40 T antigen (OBA-9) were activated by a sonic extract (SE) of Pg to examine cytokine production and NF-kappaB activation using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). In addition, Pg mediated activation of NF-kappaB in a TLR2-transfectant was also investigated. RESULTS: RT-PCR results revealed that HGEC expressed mRNA of TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, and TLR9, although the expression profiles of each cell line were slightly different. In addition, immunostaining revealed the prominent expression of TLR2 not only in nHGEC, but also in the gingival epithelium of the tissue specimen. Interestingly, nHGEC and OBA-9 secreted IL-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 upon stimulation with Pg SE more efficiently than LPS and fimbriae of Pg. Furthermore, Pg SE increased the activated NF-kappaB not only in OBA-9, but also in 293T cells transfected with the human TLR2 gene. CONCLUSION: TLR2 participates, at least partly, in the signaling pathway to induce chemokine production in gingival epithelium as a reaction against Pg component(s), probably other than lipopolysaccharide and fimbriae.