Equisetum arvense Inhibits Alveolar Bone Destruction in a Rat Model with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Periodontitis.

Background and Aims: Equisetum arvense extract (EA) exerts various biological effects, including anti-inflammatory activity. The effect of EA on alveolar bone destruction has not been reported; therefore, we aimed to determine whether EA could inhibit alveolar bone destruction associated with periodontitis in a rat model in which periodontitis was induced using lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli (E. coli-LPS). Methods: Physiological saline or E. coli-LPS or E. coli-LPS/EA mixture was topically administered into the gingival sulcus of the upper molar region of the rats. After 3 days, periodontal tissues of the molar region were collected. Immunohistochemistry was performed for cathepsin K, receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG). The cathepsin K-positive osteoclasts along the alveolar bone margin were counted. EA effects on the expression of the factors regulating osteoclastogenesis in osteoblasts with E. coli-LPS-stimulation were also examined in vitro. Results: Treatment with EA significantly reduced the number of osteoclasts by decreasing the RANKL-expression and increasing OPG-expression in the periodontal ligament in the treatment group compared to the E. coli-LPS group. The in vitro study showed that the upregulation of p-IκB kinase α and ß (p-IKKα/ß), p-NF-κB p65, TNF-α, interleukin-6, and RANKL and downregulation of semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), ß-catenin, and OPG in the osteoblasts with E. coli-LPS-stimulation improved with EA-treatment. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated that topical EA suppressed alveolar bone resorption in the rat model with E. coli-LPS-induced periodontitis by maintaining a balance in RANKL/OPG ratio via the pathways of NF-κB, Wnt/ß-catenin, and Sema3A/Neuropilin-1. Therefore, EA possesses the potential to prevent bone destruction through inhibiting osteoclastogenesis attributed to cytokine burst under plaque accumulation.

Hand-foot syndrome and risk factors for occurrence in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients.

PURPOSE: Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a typical skin disorder caused by the use of cytotoxic anticancer drugs and molecular targets. Similarly, various anticancer drugs have been used as a conditioning regimen for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and skin disorders such as HFS have been reported. The aim of this study was to determine retrospectively the frequency of HFS in recipients who have received a first allogeneic HSCT and the risk factors for HFS occurrence. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of recipients who received their first allogeneic HSCT and neutrophil engraftment at Shizuoka Cancer Center from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2019. RESULTS: The occurrence of HFS was confirmed in 78 cases (48.1%), and no grade 3 HFS was confirmed. The median occurrence of HFS was 8 (- 3 to 19) days. In recipients with and without confirmed HFS, the median neutrophil engraftment day was 16.5 (10-33) and 15.0 (11-26) days, respectively (p = 0.013). Multivariate analysis indicated that the frequency of HFS was statistically significantly higher in women (p = 0.032), recipients administered busulfan (Bu) four times daily (p = 0.011), and recipients previously treated with anthracycline (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Attention should be paid to HFS that occurs due to the conditioning regimen for HSCT in women, recipients who received 0.8 mg/kg of Bu four times a day, and recipients with a history of anthracycline administration, as HFS may affect the duration to neutrophil engraftment.

Anti-inflammatory effect of glycyrrhizin with Equisetum arvense extract.

Periodontal disease is the most prevalent infectious disease, and inflammatory mediators play critical roles in its progression. Therefore, controlling pro-inflammatory cytokine production, especially at initial disease stages, is essential to maintaining gingival and periodontal health. Glycyrrhizin (GL) has an anti-inflammatory effect and has been added to toothpaste and mouth rinse to prevent periodontal disease. However, there is a maximum dose for the use of GL. The aim of the present study is to screen plant extracts which can effectively enhance the effects of GL. The effects of extracts from six different plants on GL-suppressed TNF-α expression in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.)-LPS-stimulated human oral keratinocytes (RT7) were examined. Results demonstrated that Equisetum arvense (EA) extract had the strongest additive effect on the suppression of TNF-α by GL at both mRNA and protein levels. In addition, GL downregulated the production of TNF-α by suppressing NF-κB p65 phosphorylation, but not JNK or p38 phosphorylation. In contrast, EA decreased JNK phosphorylation but not NF-κB p65 or p38 phosphorylation. The combination of GL and EA effectively attenuated A.a.-LPS-induced phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and JNK. Furthermore, an LPS-induced periodontitis rat model showed that GL with EA supplementation significantly downregulated TNF-α mRNA in the gingival tissue. These results indicate that EA can suppress A.a.-LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production by inhibiting JNK activation and can promote the anti-inflammatory effects of GL. Our findings suggest that a combination of GL and EA may improve the development of new oral hygiene products aimed at enhancing periodontal health.

Molecular characteristics of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in a university teaching hospital.

The prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs) has been increasing worldwide. Recently, a pandemic clone of Escherichia coli O25:H4, sequence type 131 (ST131), producing ESBL-type CTX-M-15 has been reported as a major problem. In this study, we investigated the molecular characteristics of 72 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates. We detected the ESBL blaCTX-M gene and nine virulence factor genes (papC, papEF, fimH, hlyA, iutA, sfa, eaeA, bfpA, and aggR) by PCR and DNA sequencing, plasmid replicon typing, phylogenetic grouping, repetitive-sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR), and multilocus sequence typing. All strains were positive for blaCTX-M. Twenty-two (30.6%) strains in CTX-M-1 group included 9 (12.5%) of CTX-M-15, 3 (4.2%) in CTX-M-2 group, and 47 (65.3%) strains in CTX-M-9 group. The CTX-M-15-producing E. coli O25:H4 ST131 was derived from phylogenetic group B2 and rep-PCR pattern d. The most prevalent virulence factor was fimH (72 strains; 100%) and the most common replicon type was the IncF type (65 strains; 90.3%). The CTX-M-9 group was significantly associated with the presence of papC and papEF [OR (95% CI)=9.22 (1.32-64.7), p=0.025] or hlyA [OR (95% CI)=5.57 (1.17-26.4), p=0.031]. In conclusion, we confirmed that CTX-M-15-producing E. coli O25:H4 ST131 has emerged in Japan and found significant virulence factors with CTX-M-9 group.

Development of multiplex PCR for rapid identification of four Salmonella serovars most commonly isolated in Japan.

More than 2,500 serovars of Salmonella species have been reported to date. A multiplex-PCR method was developed and evaluated for discriminating the four Salmonella enterica subsp enterica serovars, namely, S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, S. Thompson and S. Infantis, most commonly isolated in Japan. Twenty-two serovars of 84 Salmonella strains and 7 species of non-Salmonella strains were evaluated using primer pairs specific for the detection of Salmonella spp. Multiplex PCR generated, with 100% specificity, the expected amplicon of 333, 413, 551 and 658 bp of S. Enteritidis, S. Infantis, S. Typhimurium, and S. Thompson, respectively, while an additional non-specific amplicon (about 1,000 bp) was observed for S. Infantis, but it had no practical impact in the bacterial detection. This multiplex PCR assay can be applied to identify and discriminate clinically significant strains of Salmonella serovars rapidly and accurately without the need for serological examination.

Antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella strains clinically isolated in Hyogo, Japan (2009-2012).

The purpose of this study was to examine the in vitro susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents and genetic diversity of 195 clinical strains of Salmonella spp., which were isolated and examined for the extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) blaCTX-M gene and the presence of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE genes mutations in Hyogo, Japan, from 2009 to 2012. Forty-three of the 195 strains were antimicrobial resistant. Two Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica strains, 1 serovar Schwarzengrund, and 1 serovar Enteritidis were identified as ESBL-producing strains possessing blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-2, respectively. Among 8 nalidixic acid-resistant strains, 7 had mutations in gyrA alone or in gyrA and parC. In conclusion, we identified CTX-M ESBL-producing Salmonella clinical strains with multidrug resistance. Further studies are needed to monitor these serious drug-resistant Salmonella strains in Japan.