Enigmatic relationship of two Microsporum species

Unusual cultures of a Microsporum species were isolated from eleven patients who had either tinea capitis or tinea corporis or both. Although the macroconidia produced in the primary cultures resembled those of M. canis, hyphal morphology and colony characteristics were different from any of the more commonly occurring Microsporum species. Careful examination of subcultures showed that the isolates were composed of two species; M. canis and M. distortum, whose relationship remains enigmatic.     

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Exophiala jeanselmei and Exophiala dermatitidis

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis with Hae III, Hind. III and Msp I was performed in 45 Exophiala jeanselmei strains (30 Phialophora jeanselmei and 15 Phialophora gougerotii strains) and 31 Exophiala dermatitidis strains. The results were as follows, 1) P. jeanselmei and P. gougerotii are identical, 2) E. jeanselmei is classified into 18 types based on restriction profiles, 3) two strains of E. jeanselmei CBS 577.76 and CBS 578.76 are identified as E. dermatitidis, 4) E. dermatitidis has no intraspecific variation and is definitely distinct from E. jeanselmei, 5) E. jeanselmei is suggested to be a complex organism because of extensive mtDNA polymorphism.     

Deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization studies of Exophiala dermatitidis and Exophiala jeanselmei

Exophiala dermatitidis and Exophiala jeanselmei share similar morphological features and have been confused with each other. To clarify the relationship between the two fungi, we conducted a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA hybridization study using a dot blot method. Between E. dermatitidis and E. jeanselmei, only a very low level of DNA relatedness was seen and it was confirmed that these two fungi are distinct species based on DNA similarity. Close correspondence of DNA from the isolates of E. dermatitidis was obtained, whereas the isolates of E. jeanselmei were divided into 6 groups according to their DNA similarity and a possibility was shown that E. jeanselmei is composed of genetically heterogeneous groups. The subdivision of the species E. jeanselmei by the DNA-DNA hybridization method was in agreement with serotyping exoantigens. This result suggests that DNA-DNA hybridization studies provide an excellent tool for the identification and grouping of pathogenic dematiaceous fungi.     

Taxonomy ofCryptococcus Neoformans and its varietyUniguttulatus

Summary A comparative study of a number of strains of the speciesCr. neoformans and its varietyuniguttulatus showed that capsule formation was inappropriate as a character to differentiate species and variety. The ability to grow at 37°C. and to use dulcitol andD-arabinose as source of carbon appeared to be more suitable. A definition of species and variety on this basis was given.     

Taxonomy of Senecio multilobatus and its allies

A revision is presented for ten closely related species of western North America. The assemblage approximates the sectionsBolanderiani Greenman andLobati Rydb. Two new infraspecific combinations are made:Senecio bolanderi Gray var.harfordii (Greenman) T. M. Barkley, andS. eurycephalus Torr. & Gray ex Gray var.Iewisrosei (J. T. Howell) T. M. Barkley.     

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Exophiala jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni and Exophiala castellanii

A Japanese clinical isolate (KU-A-0094) which was identified by de Hoog et al. as Exophiala jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni with difficulty, was compared with 5 strains including the type cultures of E. jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni, var. jeanselmei and E. castellanii using RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) patterns of mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA). RFLP patterns of KUA-0094 were identical with those of E. jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni and different from those of E. castellanii with restriction enzymes of HaeIII, MspI and hindIII. Therefore, de Hoog et al.'s identification of KU-A-0094 was confirmed. Additionally, mtDNA-RFLP patterns of E. jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni and E. jeanselmei var. jeanselmei were also different from each other. Consequently E. jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni seem to be a species in its own right rather than a variant of E. jeanselmei. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gigantopithecus and its relationship to Australopithecus

Gigantopithecus blacki and G. bilaspurensis are compared to P. gorilla and Australopithecus. The total morphological pattern of Gigantopithecus mandibles is more similar to Australopithecus than to P. gorilla. Two major points are raised. (1) G. blacki might be considered an aberrant hominid rather than an aberrant pongid. (2) G. bilaspurensis can be considered an equally likely candidate, along with Ramapithecus, for possible hominid ancestry.     

Enzymatic activities of Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum strains.

The presence of 11 enzymatic activities, detected by qualitative methods, and 19 enzymes, semi-quantitatively detected by API ZYM system, in strains belonging to Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum has been studied. No pronounced differences were noted between Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum, although Microsporum gypseum presented in some cases more intense enzymatic activities than Microsporum canis.     

Taxonomy and pathogenicity of Olpidium brassicae and its allied species

The classification and physiology of the zoosporic plant-pathogen Olpidium brassicae and its relationships with the closely-related species are often confusing. This review focuses on these species and intends to differentiate them based on the literatures published since the discovery and establishment of the species by Woronin in 1878 under the name of Chytridium brassicae to current molecular era. The goal of this review is to help researchers better understand the taxonomy, the host range, and the potential role in plant health of O. brassicae-related species. To reach the goal, we reviewed the rationales behind the creation or reduction in synonymy of the different names for O. brassicae and its allied species in order to elucidate the evolution of the species concept on them based on the traditional morphological studies. Furthermore, the studies by molecular biology methods improve our knowledge and perspectives on O. brassicae and its host specificity. In particular, we clarify the differences between O. brassicae and Olpidium virulentus, and propose potential new research avenues. We therefore hope that this review will give a better perspective on Olpidium spp. and their potential role in the root microbiome of plants in natural environments and in agricultural settings.     

Cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis of the sole caused by Exophiala jeanselmei and its susceptibility to amphotericin B, 5-FC and ketaoconazole

Cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to E. jeanselmei developed on the sole of a 61 years old Japanese female who was receiving the corticoids therapy for nephrotic syndrome. Although the causative fungus was resistant to 5-fluorocytosine, amphotericin B and ketoconazole, the lesion was successfully treated by surgical excision.     

Antifungal activity of Lactobacillus against Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum

A total of 220 lactic acid bacteria isolates were screened for antifungal activity using Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger as the target strains. Four Lactobacillus strains exhibited strong inhibitory activity on agar surfaces. All four were also identified as having strong inhibitory activity against the human pathogenic fungi Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum. One of the four lactobacilli, namely Lb. reuteri ee1p exhibited the most inhibition against dermatophytes. Cell-free culture supernatants of Lb. reuteri ee1p and of the non-antifungal Lb. reuteri M13 were freeze-dried and used to access and compare antifungal activity in agar plate assays and microtiter plate assays. Addition of the Lb. reuteri ee1p freeze-dried cell-free supernatant powder into the agar medium at concentrations greater than 2% inhibited all fungal colony growth. Addition of the powder at 5% to liquid cultures caused complete inhibition of fungal growth on the basis of turbidity. Freeze-dried supernatant of the non-antifungal Lb. reuteri M13 at the same concentrations had a much lesser effect. As Lb. reuteri M13 is very similar to the antifungal strain ee1p in terms of growth rate and final pH in liquid culture, and as it has little antifungal activity, it is clear that other antifungal compounds must be specifically produced (or produced at higher levels) by the anti-dermatophyte strain Lb. reuteri ee1p. Reuterin was undetectable in all four antifungal strains. The cell free supernatant of Lb. reuteri ee1p was analyzed by LC-FTMS using an Accela LC coupled to an LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer. The high mass accuracy spectrum produced by compounds in the Lb. reuteri ee1p strain was compared with both a multianalyte chromatogram and individual spectra of standard anti-fungal compounds, which are known to be produced by lactic acid bacteria. Ten antifungal metabolites were detected.     

PPAR家族及其与代谢综合征的关系

过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体(peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors,PPARs)是配体激活的转录因子核受体超家族成员之一。目前已知有三种亚型：PPARα、-β／δ和-γ。它们在脂肪生成、脂质代谢、胰岛素敏感性、炎症和血压调节中起着关键作用,因而近年来倍受关注。越来越多的研究表明,PPARs与代谢综合征,包括胰岛素抵抗、糖耐量受损、2型糖尿病、肥胖、高脂血症、高血压病、动脉粥样硬化和蛋白尿之间存在因果关系。重要的是,PPARα的激动剂如贝丁酸类降脂药(Fibrate)和PPARγ的激动剂如噻唑烷二酮(Thiazolidinedione,TZD)均已被证实有改善代谢综合征的作用。此外,三种PPAR亚型在2型糖尿病及糖尿病肾病的发展中均有重要作用。不断增加的证据提示,PPARs有可能成为代谢综合征及其相关并发症的潜在治疗靶点。本文将就PPARs的生物学活性、配体选择性和生理学功能作一综述,并对其在代谢综合征发病机制中的作用和PPAR配体对2型糖尿病的治疗效用进行重点讨论。     

Allergic contact dermatitis and its relationship to carcinogenicity

The relationship between allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and carcinogenicity was investigated using a recently developed and validated simulation approach. The analyses indicated that while there are electrophilic and non-electrophilic components to ACD, these were not identical to those operating in carcinogenicity. Accordingly, with respect to carcinogenicity prediction, the results of ACD do not improve the results based upon mutagenicity testing alone, the latter being a surrogate for potential electrophilicity.     

Somali wordhood and its relationship to prosodic structure

Previous “one tone per word” analyses of Somali wordhood fall short in a number of ways due to the morphological and prosodic complexity of the language. While the presence of a single accentual high tone is generally a good diagnostic for prosodic wordhood in the language, it is a poor predictor of grammatical wordhood. In this paper, we aim to refine the criteria needed to define both. We explore the culminative role played by tonal accent in the formation of prosodic words and the contributions of morphosyntactic and phonological phenomena in defining larger phrases that are sometimes considered single words in the language. We explore positive and negative correlations between prosodic and grammatical wordhood, and in doing so, we find that the differing accentual behavior of Somali words depends largely on the prosodic structure of their constituent morphemes and the position of these morphemes on a wordhood cline. We illustrate that while each maximal prosodic word in the language exhibits one tone, a minimal prosodic word is better defined in terms of its accentual properties. In addition, while prosodic and grammatical wordhood often align with one another, grammatical wordhood cannot be unambiguously defined based on tone or accent location.     

Anatomical Contributions to Hylobatid Taxonomy and Adaptation

Compared with the great apes, the small-bodied hylobatids were treated historically as a relatively uniform group with 2 genera, Hylobates and the larger-bodied Symphalangus. Four genera are now recognized, each with a different chromosome number: Hoolock (hoolock) (38), Hylobates (44), Nomascus (crested gibbon) (52), and Symphalangus (siamang) (50). Previous morphological studies based on relative bone lengths, e.g., intermembral indices; molar tooth sizes; and body masses did not distinguish the 4 genera from each other. We applied quantitative anatomical methods to test the hypothesis that each genus can be differentiated from the others using the relative distribution of body mass to the forelimbs and hind limbs. Based on dissections of 13 hylobatids from captive facilities, our findings demonstrate that each of the 4 genera has a distinct pattern of body mass distribution. For example, the adult Hoolock has limb proportions of nearly equal mass, a pattern that differentiates it from species in the genus Hylobates, e.g., H. lar (lar gibbon), H. moloch (Javan gibbon), H. pileatus (pileated gibbon), Nomascus, and Symphalangus. Hylobates is distinct in having heavy hind limbs. Although Symphalangus has been treated as a scaled up version of Hylobates, its forelimb exceeds its hind limb mass, an unusual primate pattern otherwise found only in orangutans. This research provides new information on whole body anatomy and adds to the genetic, ecological, and behavioral evidence for clarifying the taxonomy of the hylobatids. The research also underscores the important contribution of studies on rare species in captivity.     

Nitrate accumulation in vegetables and its relationship to quality

Many plants, especially leafy vegetables, accumulate nitrate under low light conditions as uptake of nitrate exceeds reduction. Nitrate may harm the health of the consumer as it can be converted to nitrite causing methaemoglobinaemia or carcinogenic nitrosamines. To take directional measures during the growth of vegetables which will decrease the nitrate content, physiological knowledge about the nitrogen economy of the plant is needed. In this review the physiological role of nitrate as osmoticum and its relationship with carbon utilisation will be described; some practical implications for growers and the consequence for quality of the product will be discussed.