Rapid Quantification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium in Lettuce Using Immunomagnetic Separation and a Microfluidic System.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. are common foodborne pathogens. Simple, rapid and accurate methods to detect and enumerate these pathogens are required to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness.

Characterisation of glucose-induced protein fragments among the order Enterobacterales using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.

To characterise the glucose-induced protein fragments by MALDI-TOF MS analysis, we compared data for samples from Escherichia coli cultured in media with or without glucose. Characteristic peaks were observed in the presence of glucose, and MS/MS revealed Asr-specific fragments. The amino acid sequences of the fragments suggested sequence-specific proteolysis.

Prevalence of Staphylococcus argenteus among food handlers, kitchen utensils, and food samples in Japan.

Staphylococcus argenteus has received increased attention from an aspect of food safety since several food poisoning outbreaks caused by the bacterium were reported in Japan. However, S. argenteus prevalence among food handlers and utensils has not yet been investigated.

Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rehabilitation in Critically Ill Patients 2023 (J-ReCIP 2023).

Providing standardized, high-quality rehabilitation for critically ill patients is a crucial issue. In 2017, the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM) promulgated the "Evidence-Based Expert Consensus for Early Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit" to advocate for the early initiation of rehabilitations in Japanese intensive care settings. Building upon this seminal work, JSICM has recently conducted a rigorous systematic review utilizing the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology.

Real-time PCR assays to detect 10 Shiga toxin subtype (Stx1a, Stx1c, Stx1d, Stx2a, Stx2b, Stx2c, Stx2d, Stx2e, Stx2f, and Stx2g) genes.

To develop subtyping methods for Shiga toxin (Stx)1a, Stx1c, Stx1d, Stx2a, Stx2b, Stx2c, Stx2d, Stx2e, Stx2f, and Stx2g genes for epidemiological analyses of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), we developed 10 simplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays with reference to 284 valid stx sequences and evaluated their specificity and quantitative accuracy using STEC and non-STEC isolates and recombinant plasmids, respectively. Three stx and 5 stx subtype genes, except for stx and stx, were detected with high specificity using STEC isolates. However, some stx sequences potentially being close to both Stx2a and Stx2d cluster in neighbor-joining cluster analysis were positive for stx and stx by real-time PCR.

Survey of Glasgow Coma Scale and PaO/FIO ratio assessment methods for the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score in Japanese intensive care units.

Aim: Accurately calculating the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is essential for medical resource allocation and decision-making. This study surveyed Japanese intensive care units regarding their assessment of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and PaO/FIO ratio, components of the SOFA score.

Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted among healthcare workers.

Isolation and characterization of Staphylococcus argenteus strains from retail foods and slaughterhouses in Japan.

Staphylococcus argenteus has been recently established as a novel species of Staphylococcus aureus complex. It is known to cause various human diseases, such as skin and soft-tissue infections, sepsis, and staphylococcal food poisoning, although the source of infection has not been clearly described. In food poisoning cases, the source of bacterial contamination in food is unknown.

Proposal of a novel selective enrichment broth, NCT-mTSB, for isolation of Escherichia albertii from poultry samples.

Aims: Escherichia albertii is an emerging diarrheagenic pathogen causing food- and water-borne infection in humans. However, no selective enrichment broths for E. albertii have ever been reported.

Vinylnaphthalene-bearing hexaoxazole as a fluorescence turn-on type G-quadruplex ligand.

Oxazole-type fluorophores show an increase of fluorescence intensity upon interaction with nucleic acids, and therefore can be used as tools for nucleic acid-sensing and fluorescence imaging. Here, we developed a novel stilbene-type fluorophore, MO-VN (1), consisting of a mono oxazole bearing a vinyl naphthalene moiety. This compound (1) was embedded in a trioxazole 2 and a cyclic hexaoxazole 3a.

Effects of dimensions of laser-milled grid-like microslits on shear bond strength between porcelain or indirect composite resin and zirconia.

Purpose: Zirconia cores and frameworks are widely used in restorative dentistry. Although these structures are veneered with porcelain for esthetic reasons, the use of indirect composite resins (ICRs) is expected to increase in the future. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of microslits of different dimensions formed by Nd:YVO laser machining on the bond strength between two types of zirconia (3 mol% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) and ceria-partially stabilized zirconia/alumina nanocomposite (Ce-TZP/A)) and porcelain or an ICR.

Adverse Effects of Personal Protective Equipment Among Intensive Care Unit Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: To avoid exposure to SARS-COV-2, healthcare professionals use personal protective equipment (PPE) while treating COVID-19 patients. Prior studies have revealed the adverse effects (AEs) of PPE on healthcare workers (HCWs); however, no review has focused on the AEs of PPE on HCWs in intensive care units (ICUs). This review aimed to identify the AEs of PPE on HCWs working in ICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis of Enterohemorrhagic Serogroups O157, O26, and O111 Based on a Look-Up Table Constructed by Regression Analysis.

Multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) is a widely accepted molecular typing tool for enterohemorrhagic (EHEC). However, ensuring the accuracy of MLVA data among multiple laboratories remains difficult. We developed a method of constructing adjusted look-up tables, which are necessary for MLVA profiling, at each laboratory using a regression analysis based on electrophoresis data from 24 in-house reference strains.

Quantum transport evidence of Weyl fermions in an epitaxial ferromagnetic oxide.

Magnetic Weyl semimetals have novel transport phenomena related to pairs of Weyl nodes in the band structure. Although the existence of Weyl fermions is expected in various oxides, the evidence of Weyl fermions in oxide materials remains elusive. Here we show direct quantum transport evidence of Weyl fermions in an epitaxial 4d ferromagnetic oxide SrRuO.

Target identification of a macrocyclic hexaoxazole G-quadruplex ligand using post-target-binding visualization.

Macrocyclic hexaoxazoles (6OTDs) are G-quadruplex (G4) ligands, and some derivatives, such as L2H2-6OTD (1a) bearing two aminobutyl side chains, show cytotoxicity towards cancer cells. To identify the cellular target of 1a, we employed a post-target-binding strategy utilizing click reaction (Huisgen cyclization) between the azide-conjugated ligand L2H2-6OTD-Az (1b) and the cell-permeable dye CO-1 bearing a strained alkyne moiety and the BODIPY fluorophore under Cu-free conditions. We confirmed that introduction of the small azide group did not alter the physical or biological properties, including anti-cancer activity, of 1a, and we also demonstrated bias-free localization of CO-1.

Isolation and plasmid characterisation of Salmonella enterica serovar Albany harbouring mcr-5 from retail chicken meat in Japan.

The emergence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance genes (mcr), which is occurring in numerous countries, is a worldwide concern, primarily because colistin is a last-resort antibiotic. Compared to E. coli, prevalence of mcr genes in Salmonella is unclear in Japan.

Laser-Milled Microslits Improve the Bonding Strength of Acrylic Resin to Zirconia Ceramics.

Heightened aesthetic considerations in modern dentistry have generated increased interest in metal-free "zirconia-supported dentures." The lifespan of the denture is largely determined by the strength of adhesion between zirconia and the acrylic resin. Thus, the effect on shear bond strength (SBS) was investigated by using an acrylic resin on two types of zirconia ceramics with differently sized microslits.

Hypothalamic and mRNA Responses to Gastrointestinal Fullness and Fasting in Atlantic Salmon (, L.).

The orexigenic agouti-related protein (AgRP) and the anorexigenic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) are crucial players in the control of feed intake in vertebrates, yet their role in teleosts has not been fully established. Triplicate groups of Atlantic salmon () post smolts were subjected to (1) fasting for 3 days (fast) and (2) normal feeding (fed), resulting in a significant ( < 0.05) upregulation of hypothalamic transcripts levels in the fast group.

Ferromagnetism above 1000 K in a highly cation-ordered double-perovskite insulator SrOsO.

Magnetic insulators have wide-ranging applications, including microwave devices, permanent magnets and future spintronic devices. However, the record Curie temperature (T), which determines the temperature range in which any ferri/ferromagnetic system remains stable, has stood still for over eight decades. Here we report that a highly B-site ordered cubic double-perovskite insulator, SrOsO, has the highest T (of ~1060 K) among all insulators and oxides; also, this is the highest magnetic ordering temperature in any compound without 3d transition elements.

An enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP)-based reporter assay for quantitative detection of sporulation in Clostridium perfringens SM101.

Clostridium perfringens type F is a spore-forming anaerobe that causes bacterial food-borne illness in humans. The disease develops when ingested vegetative cells reach the intestinal tract and begin to form spores that produce the diarrheagenic C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE).

Staphylococcal food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus argenteus harboring staphylococcal enterotoxin genes.

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is caused by staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) preformed in food materials. SE genes are encoded on mobile genetic elements and are widely found across Staphylococcus species including S. argenteus, although most SFP cases are caused by S.

Room-temperature local ferromagnetism and its nanoscale expansion in the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ge(1-x)Fex.

We investigate the local electronic structure and magnetic properties of the group-IV-based ferromagnetic semiconductor, Ge(1-x)Fex (GeFe), using soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Our results show that the doped Fe 3d electrons are strongly hybridized with the Ge 4p states, and have a large orbital magnetic moment relative to the spin magnetic moment; i.e.

Soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission with micro-positioning techniques for metallic V₂O₃.

Soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission has been performed for metallic V2O3. By combining a microfocus beam (40 µm × 65 µm) and micro-positioning techniques with a long-working-distance microscope, it has been possible to observe band dispersions from tiny cleavage surfaces with a typical size of several tens of µm. The photoemission spectra show a clear position dependence, reflecting the morphology of the cleaved sample surface.

Astaxanthin and withaferin A block paracrine cytokine interactions between UVB-exposed human keratinocytes and human melanocytes via the attenuation of endothelin-1 secretion and its downstream intracellular signaling.

Background: Paracrine interactions between keratinocytes and melanocytes via cytokines play an essential role in regulating pigmentation in epidermal hyperpigmentary disorders. There is an urgent need for a human epidermal model in which melanogenic paracrine interactions between UVB-exposed keratinocytes and melanocytes can be precisely evaluated because human epidermal equivalents consisting of multilayered keratinocytes and melanocytes have significant limitations in this respect.

Objective: To resolve this challenge, we established a co-culture system with cell inserts using human keratinocytes and human melanocytes that serves as an appropriate new model for UVB-induced hyperpigmentation.