Are individuals with lower neutrophil oxidative burst activity more prone to Helicobacter pylori infection?

Helicobacter pylori infection has been reported to cause enhanced reactive oxygen species in the gastric mucosa. We examined the relationship between H. pylori infection and neutrophil function of peripheral blood. The subjects were 904 volunteers who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project in 2005. 158 subjects who were infected with H. pylori in 2005 also participated in this project in 2006 and were categorized into two groups: the eradication group, in which H. pylori was successfully eradicated during the 12 month period, and the non‐eradication group, in which eradication was unsuccessful or the subjects did not receive eradication therapy. The laboratory assays performed were: a titre of H. pylori antibody; neutrophil counts; and oxidative burst activity (OBA) of neutrophils. Logistic regression analysis was executed, with H. pylori infection as the dependent variable and other items as the independent variables. OBA showed an inverse association with H. pylori infection in 2005. Additionally, when comparing the eradication and non‐eradication groups, the change rates of OBA between 2005 and 2006 did not show any significant difference. It was concluded that H. pylori infection does not lower OBA, but those individuals in whom OBA was lower were more prone to H. pylori infection. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physiological Properties of Yeast Cells Grown in the Proteolipid-Supplemented Media

Koji mold proteolipid (PL), a high concentration alcohol-producing factor, promoted yeast growth, and also affected the physiological properties of yeast cells: in the conditions of statical cultures, the cells grown anaerobically in PL-supplemented media showed the highest fermentative activity and the highest alcohol-durability by the dipping method in 20% alcohol for 48 hr, at 20°C, that was similar to moromi (main mash) yeasts in Japanese sake brewing; the cells grown in the stationary culture (with cotton plug) supplemented with PL showed the lowest fermentative activity and relatively low alcohol-durability, similar to moto (seed mash) yeasts; the cells grown anaerobically in PL-unsupplemented media showed high fermentative activity but the lowest alcohol-durability.     

Immunomodulating properties of a novel series of protein kinase C activators. The bryostatins

Low concentrations of the protein kinase C activators, bryostatins 1 and 2 synergized with recombinant B cell stimulatory factor-1 in triggering differentiation (granule enzyme expression) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) development in naive, resting lymph node T cells. Bryostatin greatly enhances efficiency of recombinant interleukin-2 in triggering development of in vivo primed CTL during in vitro incubation, thereby providing experimental evidence for the efficacious use of lower concentrations of recombinant interleukin-2 for in vivo tumor rejection studies. Both bryostatins 1 and 2 were able to trigger cytotoxicity of CTL clones against antigen-nonbearing target cells and inhibited CTL cytotoxicity against Ag-specific target cells. Bryostatin 1 and 2 synergize with Ca2+ ionophores in triggering the exocytosis of cytolytic granules from CTL at very low concentrations. In view of the lack of tumor promoting activity of the bryostatins, the possible use of these agents in vivo is discussed.     

Approaches to Repigmentation of Vitiligo Skin: New Treatment with Ultrasonic Abrasion,Seed‐Grafting and Psoralen Plus Ultraviolet A Therapy

Vitiligo vulgaris is a common disease throughout the world although its pathogenesis is not yet known. The most frequent treatment used for vitiligo is PUVA (psoralen plus ultraviolet A) and topical steroids but against stable refractory vitiligo, various other surgical techniques have been developed such as autografting, epidermal grafting with suction blisters, epithelial sheet grafting, and transplantation of cultured melanocytes. We have discovered a new method using ultrasonic abrasion, seed‐grafting and PUVA therapy. The ultrasonic surgical aspirator abrades only the epidermis of recipient sites. This easily and safely removes only the epidermis, even on spotty lesions or intricate regions which are difficult to remove using a conventional motor‐driven grinder or liquid nitrogen. Epidermal seed‐grafting can cover more area than sheet‐grafting, and subsequent PUVA treatment can enlarge the area of pigmentation with coalescence of adjacent grafts. In this article, we provide a general overview of the current surgical therapies including our method for treating stable refractory vitiligo.     

The cDNA Sequence of NS3-Glycoprotein from Brassica campestris and its Homology to Related Proteins

A cDNA clone encoding NS₃-glycoprotein was isolated from stigmasof Brassica campestris. NS-glycoproteins correspond to the SLRI-glycoproteinsof B. oleracea and are highly conserved within the species.These data suggest that the NS-glycoproteins may play a rolein discrimination between species in the fertilization systemof Brassica. (Received September 4, 1992; Accepted November 9, 1992)