Effect of hydrothermal treatment on organic matter degradation, phytotoxicity, and microbial communities in model food waste composting.

Hydrothermal treatment (HTT) as a pretreatment method for compost raw material has multiple benefits such as enhanced solubility of organic material, improved bioaugmentation, and reduced biohazard by killing harmful microorganisms. In this study, we pretreated food waste via HTT at 180 °C for 30 min to investigate its effect on food waste composting. HTT generated 8.

Lactic acid bacteria modulate organic acid production during early stages of food waste composting.

Lactic acid bacteria are observed during early stages of almost all food waste composting. Among them, 2 types of lactic acid bacteria, Pediococcus (homofermentative lactic acid bacterium) and Weissella (heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium) have been often reported. In this study, the roles of these 2 types of lactic acid bacteria in the composting were tried to elucidate.

Composting of food waste subjected to hydrothermal pretreatment and inoculated with Paecilomyces sp. FA13.

Food waste collected from restaurants, convenience stores, and food-processing factories was mixed with sawdust and subjected to hydrothermal pretreatment at 180°C for 30min to prepare compost raw material. Furan compounds such as 5-HMF (5-hydroxymethyl furfural) and furfural were produced at concentration levels of approximately 8 and 0.5mg/g-ds, respectively, through hydrothermal pretreatment.

Inoculation of Pichia kudriavzevii RB1 degrades the organic acids present in raw compost material and accelerates composting.

In this study, the yeast strain Pichia kudriavzevii RB1 was used as an inoculum to accelerate organic matter degradation of rabbit food with added organic acids, which was used as a model food waste for composting. The RB1 strain rapidly degraded the organic acids present in the raw compost material, leading to an increase in pH beyond the neutral level, within 2 days. Both mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria proliferated faster in the compost with RB1 inoculation than in that without inoculation.

Effects of turning on the microbial consortia and the in situ temperature preferences of microorganisms in a laboratory-scale swine manure composting.

The effects of turning on the microbial consortia during swine manure composting were investigated. To focus on microbial migration, two types of composting runs, with and without turning, were conducted. In both cases, the material was composted in three separate reactors set at 30, 50, and 70 °C.

Escherichia coli O157 infection mimicking acute appendicitis: usefulness of computed tomography for differential diagnosis.

A 19-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with acute abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant. He had had mild diarrhea, of 1 day's duration, 2 days before admission. Although physical findings were consistent with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis, computed tomography findings showed marked wall thickening from the ascending colon to the cecum, findings which were similar to those in patients with hemorrhagic colitis due to Escherichia coli O157.

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma associated with sarcoid reaction in the regional lymph nodes.

A 74-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a 2-week history of jaundice. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy revealed a nodular tumor originating in the upper part of the common hepatic duct, which was invading the confluence of the right and left hepatic ducts. Microscopic examination of biopsy specimens revealed adenocarcinoma.

Minilaparotomy for early gastric cancer.

Background/aims: From the experience of laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy, it was considered that a gastrectomy with lymph node dissection could be performed through a minilaparotomy, placed as for gastroduodenostomy in laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy.

Methodology: Ten patients with early gastric cancer underwent gastrectomy with lymph node dissection via minilaparotomy. Minilaparotomy was performed via a seven-centimeter midline incision placed at the mid-upper abdomen.

Metastatic hepatoma originating from the pons hepatis presenting extrahepatic growth--classification of different patterns covering REX's recessus.

A metastatic liver carcinoma which developed from the pons hepatis and presented as an extrahepatic mass on ultrasonography and computed tomography is reported. There have been no other reports of hepatoma documenting the extrahepatic growth developed from the pons hepatis. Herein we study the frequency of the pons hepatis and classify the form of REX's recessus.

Current practices in adult groin hernias: a survey of Japanese general surgeons.

The tendency to perform abdominal wall reinforcement using various types of mesh (tension-free repair) is increasing. A questionnaire to poll Japanese surgeons on their current surgical modalities for groin hernias was sent to 105 hospitals and was returned by 83 hospitals. The majority (83%) of responders to this survey supported the tension-free repair as a standard operation for adult groin hernias.

[Matured mediastinal teratoma with high levels of tumor markers in cystic fluid].

A 42-year-old woman was admitted to Gifu Municipal Hospital because of an abnormal mediastinal shadow on a chest X-ray film. The serum CA125 level was slightly high 38 U/L, normal: < 35 U/L. Preoperative examination of fluid from a cyst revealed a high level of carcinoembryonic antigen (550 ng/ ml).

Long-term effects of dietary fiber supplementation on serum glucose and lipoprotein levels in diabetic rats fed a high cholesterol diet.

We have shown that cholesterol-fed diabetic rats developed atheromatous lesions in the aorta and coronary arteries, which were not observed in cholesterol-fed diabetic rats receiving concomitant supplementation with 15% glucomannan, a soluble dietary fiber concentrate. The present study was designed to examine the effects of the dietary fiber supplementation on serum levels of glucose and lipoproteins in cholesterol-fed diabetic rats. Feeding a diet containing 1.

Emergency cardiopulmonary bypass support in patients with cardiac arrest caused by myocardial infarction.

Emergency percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass support (PCPS) was instituted in 3 patients with acute myocardial infarction in cardiac arrest refractory to conventional resuscitation measures. All had severe double or triple vessel disease. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed in 1 patient and PTCA and directional coronary atherectomy (DCA) were performed in the other 2 patients on combined intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP) and PCPS.

[A case of pneumothorax due to pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer].

A 38-year-old woman was admitted because of left pneumothorax on March 16, 1991. She had undergone modified radical mastectomy in Dec. 1986.

[Mitomycin C associated hemolytic uremic syndrome--a case report and review of the Japanese cases].

A 36-year-old man who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) associated with mitomycin C (MMC) after the radical operation for early gastric cancer was reported. He was successfully treated with hemodialysis and transfusion of fresh frozen plasma. However, the pathogenesis and the effective treatment of this syndrome are still undetermined.

[A case report on progressive hematomatous organizing empyema accompanied with intrathoracic hemangioma].

The patient, a 63-year-old woman, who had undergone extra-pleural plombage due to tuberculosis in 1961, was regularly treated for chronic empyema at our outpatient clinic since 1988. The patient who complained of difficulty in breathing because of a recent increase in empyema was admitted to our facility. On a test puncture, pure blood was aspirated without limitation, suggesting the presence of hematoma.

[A case of Hodgkin's disease with endotracheal tumor presenting with severe airflow obstruction].

A 22-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of productive cough and dyspnea even at rest, and marked cervical lymphadenopathy. Marked stridor and orthopnea were observed, and auscultation of the chest revealed widespread expiratory wheeze which was not relieved by bronchodilators administered intravenously. Chest X-ray and CT scan revealed hilar lymphadenopathy and invasive tumor of the mediastinum.

[A case of invasive thymoma responsive to preoperative chemotherapy].

A 38-year-old male was admitted with edema of the neck and face. Chest X-ray revealed a mediastinal tumor. On chest CT and MRI, a tumor infiltrating the superior vena cava and bilateral brachiocephalic veins in the upper mediastinum was observed.

[The candida antigen titer by CAND-TEC in patients with pulmonary disease].

In order to elucidate the background of candida infection in patients with pulmonary disease, we divided 100 patients into 2 groups according to their serum titer of CAND-TEC determined by latex agglutination test for candida antigen. Group C1 (83 patients) had CAND-TEC value less than 2:1, and Group C2 (17 patients) had CAND-TEC value greater than 4:1. There was a significantly higher incidence of respiratory failure, hypoalbuminemia, and fever unresponsive to antibiotics in Group C2 compared with Group C1.

[A probable case of burned-out tumor of the testis detected after treatment for pulmonary choriocarcinoma].

We encountered a patient who was suspected of having a burned-out tumor of the testis, which was detected after he was treated for pulmonary choriocarcinoma. The patient, a 61-year-old man, was found to have an abnormality on chest X-ray film at a medical examination in December 1989. He visited our department on December 19th, and was diagnosed as having cT1N0M0 (stage I) as a result of a thorough examination.

[A case of dumbbell type extradural spinal meningioma].

We reported a case of dumbbell type extradural spinal meningioma. The patient was a 45-year-old female. An abnormal shadow in the right middle lung field was pointed out in a mass survey.

Effects of long-term high-fiber diet on macrovascular changes and lipid and glucose levels in STZ-induced diabetic SD rats.

The effects of long-term high-fiber diet on lipid and glucose levels and the histological changes in the coronary arteries and thoracic aorta in STZ-induced diabetic SD rats were investigated. During the first 4 weeks of the study period, all diabetic rats were given regular chow plus water after which, all were grouped according to the following diet regimen: group II, no added cholesterol and glucomannan; group III, no added cholesterol but with glucomannan supplement, group IV, with added cholesterol but no glucomannan supplement; and group V, with both cholesterol and glucomannan supplements. 15% weight of glucomannan and 1.