Tripeptidyl peptidase (TPP) is an exopeptidase that sequentially hydrolyzes tripeptides from the N-terminus of oligopeptides or polypeptides. We performed screening for isolating novel TPP-producing ...microorganisms from soil samples. TPP activity was observed in the culture supernatant of
Streptomyces herbaricolor
TY-21 by using Ala-Ala-Phe-p-nitroanilide (pNA) as the substrate. TPP from the culture supernatant was purified to approximately 790-fold. It was shown to cleave oxidized insulin B-chain, thereby with releasing tripeptide units, but not the N-terminal-protected peptide, Cbz-Ala-Ala-Phe-pNA. The TPP gene, designated
tpp
, was isolated from a partial genomic DNA library of
S. herbaricolor
TY-21. The TPP gene consisted of 1488 bp, and encoded a 133-amino acid pre-pro-peptide and a 362-amino acid mature enzyme containing conserved amino acid residues (Asp-36, His-77, and Ser-282) similar to the catalytic residues in subtilisin. TY-21 TPP belonged to the peptidase S8A family in the MEROPS database. The mature TY-21 TPP showed approximately 49% identity with tripeptidyl peptidase subtilisin-like (TPP S) from
Streptomyces lividans
strain 66.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional duration and survival rate of tympanostomy ventilation tubes and the complications associated with their use in pediatric patients who ...underwent tube insertion for otitis media with effusion (OME). Complications were analyzed including recurrence and tympanic membrane perforation after the tube removal or extrusion.
Altogether, 447 ears from 234 pediatric patients younger than 15 years of age were studied retrospectively. All patients had undergone long-term tympanostomy ventilation tube: the Goode T-tube insertion for OME at the Osaka Women's and Children's Hospital, which is the pediatrics specialty hospital between April 2014 and March 2016. They were typically followed up every 3–4 months or more frequently if necessary due to otorrhea or tube infection. Subsequently, the tube duration, survival rates of the tube especially at 22 months after insertion defined as “full-term placement”, and the rates of recurrence and perforation were calculated and statistically evaluated.
Of 447 ears, 335 ears from 184 patients underwent their first tube insertion, and 112 ears from 64 patients underwent their second or subsequent tube insertion within the targeted period. Two hundred ears from 106 patients were associated with a cleft palate. The survival rate at full-term placement was 51.7%. The recurrence rate was 56.3%, and the rate of the tympanic perforation was 8.5%.
Approximately half of the tubes survived for 22 months. The perforation rate was relatively low; however, recurrence of OME was seen in more than half the ears.
We report a case of nasolacrimal tumor that was resected by transnasal endoscopic surgery. The patient was an 86-year-old woman with a main complaint of left unilateral nasal obstruction. Biopsy of a ...tumor of the inferior meatus was obtained, and the histological diagnosis was oncocytoma. The tumor was totally resected with the nasolacrimal duct and inferior turbinate by transnasal endoscopic surgery. There has been no recurrence to date. This case suggests that transnasal endoscopic surgery could be an alternative treatment for a benign nasolacrimal duct tumor.
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), also known as Osler-Rendu-Weber disease, is an autosomal dominant disorder. Epistaxis is the most common symptom and presents in more than 95% of the HHT ...patients. However, the occurrence and frequency of epistaxis in HHT patients are not well understood in Japan. We administered an anonymous questionnaire and obtained information regarding the degree, history, and treatment of epistaxis. Thirty-six valid responders were analyzed, 34 (94%) of whom suffered from epistaxis more than once a week. Epistaxis appeared before the age of 19 years in 17 (47%) of the responders, but the median age of the HHT diagnosis was 40 years. Thirty (83%) of the responders underwent otorhinolaryngological examination. About half of the responders underwent either gauze-packing or coagulation treatment. However, these patients recorded low levels of satisfaction with the otorhinolaryngological examination. About 60% of the responders preferred to visit an otorhinolaryngologist who was familiar with both the symptoms and diagnosis of HHT. Thus, otorhinolaryngologists are now recommended in Japan for the diagnosis and treatment of HHT.
Aim: Glycation is a non-enzymatic reaction between reducing sugars and proteins. It forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and is involved in multiple diseases. We have reported that ...strawberries are one of the plants that inhibit the formation of AGEs. It has been reported that water treated with ceramic chips (ceramic-treated water) enhanced the growth of agricultural crops. In this study, we examined the effect of ceramic-treated water on the food functionality of strawberries, especially the anti-glycative effect and antioxidant efficacy.Methods: Fourteen varieties of strawberry plants were cultivated using either normal water or ceramic-treated water, and harvested strawberries were sliced, dried, and ground. Extracts were prepared with hot water and introduced into the human serum albumin (HSA)-Glucose glycation model. Inhibitory effects on glycation were evaluated by measuring fluorescent AGEs, and antioxidative efficacy was measured by the DPPH method. Results: All the strawberry samples showed anti-glycative effects and antioxidant activity. There was no significant difference between the cultivation water in the paired t-test for either effect. However, one variety showed a significant increase in inhibition of AGEs formation, and 4 varieties showed a significant increase in antioxidant activity in the ceramic-treated water cultivation. No correlation between anti-glycative and antioxidative effects was found.Conclusion: In this study, we examined the effect of growing water on 14 strawberry varieties. Ceramic-treated water changed the feature of strawberries, but the change depends on the varieties. This indicates that the effect of ceramic-treated water may be limited to certain varieties. In addition, the lack of correlation between anti-glycative and antioxidative effects suggested that the substances contributing to each effect were different.
This study reports outcomes of investigations of special-glaze-applied ceramic pieces and water which was treated with the ceramic pieces. The ceramic pieces were developed in 2000 and used for the ...purpose of environmental improvements. They were pieces of bisque fired ceramics manufactured with the application of a special glaze and were characterized by a porous structure. Investigations have confirmed diverse effects from the use of ceramic pieces such as water purification, bactericidal action and soil amelioration, although the mechanisms have not been identified. However, it has been clarified currently that cyanobacteria are proliferated in the ceramic periphery. Cyanobacteria produce oxygen via the fixation of nitrogen and carbon, which exist in water and soil. Cases with the use of ceramic pieces and the treated water indicated the effectiveness of odor decomposition, bactericidal activities, and the water quality improvement due to the reduction of biochemical oxygen demand (SOD). A theory could explain the mechanisms of these effects; that cyanobacteria of the ceramic enhances oxidation due to its oxygen production and induces these effects. Improvements of carbohydrate metabolism due to ceramic pieces were confirmed in C57BLKS/J Iar -＋Leprdb /+Leprdb, type 2 diabetes animal models , with the ingestion of ceramic-treated water. Mechanisms for this finding have not been identified. Soil improvement effects were observed for the salt pollution caused by the tsunami of the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011 and the radioactive contamination following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station accident. The ceramic pieces have diverse effects and further influences can exert global-scale significance for environmental improvements and increased agricultural productivities.
We investigated 12 patients who entered ICU after cesarean section due to bleeding and needed allogenic transfusions during a period from January 2005 to April 2008. The average age of the 12 ...subjects was 33 years. The 12 included 4 patients with placental abruption, 2 patients with uterine atony, 2 patients with placenta previa, 2 patients with placenta accreta, 1 patient with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome, and 1 patient with uterine rupture. Eight of the patients developed obstetric disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) as a complication. The average ICU stay period was 3 days, and the average hospitalization period was 20 days. All patients were successfully discharged from the hospital. The average transfusion volume of red cell concentrates, fresh frozen plasma, and platelet concentrates was 18, 15, and 18 U, respectively. Seven patients required hemostasis. Three patients received only transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), 2 patients received only total hysterectomy, 1 patient received emergency total hysterectomy due to hemorrhagic shock during TAE, and 1 patient received TAE due to continuous bleeding after total hysterectomy. Establishment of a cooperative system among obstetricians, ICU physicians, anesthesiologists, and radiologists in addition to a system for emergent blood transfusion is recommended.
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