Effects of ferulic acid combined with light irradiation on deoxynivalenol and its production in Fusarium graminearum.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ferulic acid (FA), a natural phenolic phytochemical, in combination with light irradiation at three wavelengths (365, 385 and 405 nm) on the concentration and toxicity of deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium graminearum. Moreover, this study examined the influence of the combination treatment on DON production in the cultured fungus. FA activated by light at a peak wavelength of 365 nm exhibited the most effective decrease in DON concentration of the tested wavelengths; a residual DON ratio of 0.

Universal nucleic acid donor screening revealed epidemiological features of hepatitis E and prevented transfusion-transmitted infection in Japan.

Background: More than 45 cases of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E virus infection (TT-HEV) have been reported in Japan. Therefore, in 2020, universal individual donation nucleic acid amplification testing (ID-NAT) was implemented for HEV.

Study Design And Methods: We characterized HEV NAT-positive blood donors.

Marked reduction in the incidence of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus infection after the introduction of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen and individual donation nucleic acid amplification screening in Japan.

Background: In Japan, 41 million blood donations have been screened for hepatitis B virus (HBV) during the past 8.4 years using individual donation nucleic acid amplification testing (ID-NAT) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) screening.

Study Design And Methods: Transfusion-transmitted HBV infection (TT-HBV) incidence was examined.

Transfusion-transmitted HBV infection with isolated anti-HBs-positive blood.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-positive individuals with isolated anti-HBs are found among HBV vaccine recipients and healthy blood donors with no vaccination history. HBV infectivity from blood transfusions derived from such individuals remains unclear.

Case Presentation: A male patient who received transfusion with blood negative for individual donation-NAT, HBsAg and anti-HBc but weakly positive for anti-HBs developed typical transfusion-transmitted (TT)-HBV with anti-HBc response.

Porcine embryo development and inactivation of microorganisms after ultraviolet-C irradiation at 228 nm.

It is important to prevent contamination inside the incubator as a method of preventing microbial infections during the embryo culture. In the present study, we examined the effects of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation, used for microorganism inactivation, on embryo development and the growth of bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and the fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides. In the embryo irradiation experiment, we examined the effects of the plastic lid of the culture dish, irradiation distances (10, 20, and 25 cm), and different irradiation wavelengths (228 and 260 nm) during embryo culture for 7 days on the development and quality of porcine in vitro-fertilized embryos.

A real-time measurement system for gene expression rhythms from deep tissues of freely moving mice under light-dark conditions.

Clock gene expression in most organs of the living body exhibits a diurnal rhythm synchronized with the external 24 h light-dark (LD) cycle via circadian pacemaker suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Disturbances in clock gene expression due to desynchronization of clock gene expression of the external LD cycle are risk factors for developing various diseases. Measuring the clock genes expression rhythm for a long duration under LD conditions can greatly contribute to understand the pathogenic mechanism of the disease caused by the disturbance of the biological rhythm.

Prolonged incubation period of hepatitis B in a recipient of a nucleic acid amplification test-negative hepatitis B virus window donation.

Background: The occurrence of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has fallen dramatically due to continuous improvements in pre-transfusion laboratory testing. However, the characteristics of transfusion-transmitted HBV infection caused by individual donor nucleic acid amplification test (ID-NAT)-negative blood products are unclear.

Case Presentation: A 76-year-old woman with acute myeloid leukemia was diagnosed with transfusion-transmitted HBV infection after receiving apheresis platelets derived from an ID-NAT-negative blood donation.

Hepatitis A virus and hepatitis E virus prevalence relates to human immunodeficiency virus infection in Japanese male blood donors.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has begun to spread globally among men who have sex with men (MSM). Hepatitis E virus (HEV) also may be transmitted through sexual contact among MSM. To assess the current status of these viruses among MSM in Japan, the seroprevalence of both viruses using 503 plasma samples collected between 2009 and 2018 from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive male donors who were presumed to be mainly MSM was investigated.

The spontaneous clearance of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and emergence of HEV antibodies in a transfusion-transmitted chronic hepatitis E case after completion of chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia.

A 64-year-old woman was infected with hepatitis E virus (HEV) during chemotherapy for leukemia. By retrospective analyses of stored serum from the blood products and the patient, the source of the infection was determined to be platelet concentration (PC) transfused during chemotherapy. The partial nucleotide sequence of the HEV strain isolated from the donated PC and that from the patient's sera was identical and was subgenotype 3b.

Self-powered wireless disposable sensor for welfare application.

A self-powered urinary incontinence sensor consisting of a flexible urine-activated battery and a wireless transmitter has been developed as an application for wireless biosensor networks. The flexible urine-activated battery is embedded in a disposal diaper and makes possible both the sensing of urine leakage and self-powered operation. An intermittent power-supply circuit that uses an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) with a small internal resistance suppresses the supply voltage drop due to the large internal resistance of the battery.