Septic shock is a severe systemic response to bacterial infection. Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays a role in immune reactions to recognize specific molecular patterns as pathogen recognition receptors. However, the interaction between LPS, the bioactive component of bacterial cell walls, and RAGE is unclear. In this study, we found direct LPS binding to RAGE by a surface plasmon resonance assay, a plate competition assay, and flow cytometry. LPS increased TNF-α secretion from peritoneal macrophages and an NF-κB promoter-driven luciferase activity through RAGE. Blood neutrophils and monocytes expressed RAGE, and TLR2 was counterregulated in RAGE−/− mice. After LPS injection, RAGE+/+ mice showed a higher mortality, higher serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, high mobility group box 1, and endothelin-1, and severe lung and liver pathologies compared with RAGE−/− mice without significant differences in plasma LPS level. Administration of soluble RAGE significantly reduced the LPS-induced cytokine release and tissue damage and improved the LPS-induced lethality even in RAGE−/− as well as RAGE+/+ mice. The results thus suggest that RAGE can associate with LPS and that RAGE system can regulate inflammatory responses. Soluble RAGE would be a therapeutic tool for LPS-induced septic shock.

The mutual phylogenetic relationships of dermatophytes of the genera Trichophyton, Microsporum, andEpidermophyton were demonstrated by using internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region ribosomal DNA sequences.Trichophyton spp. and Microsporum spp. form a cluster in the phylogenetic tree with Epidermophyton floccosum as an outgroup, and within this cluster, allTrichophyton spp. except Trichophyton terrestreform a nested cluster (100% bootstrap support). Members of dermatophytes in the cluster of Trichophyton spp. were classified into three groups with ITS1 homologies, with each of them being a monophyletic cluster (100% bootstrap support). TheArthroderma vanbreuseghemii-Arthroderma simii group consists of A. vanbreuseghemii, A. simii,Trichophyton mentagrophytes isolates from humans, T. mentagrophytes var. quinckeanum, Trichophyton tonsurans, and Trichophyton schoenleinii. Arthroderma benhamiae, T. mentagrophytes var.erinacei, and Trichophyton verrucosum are members of the Arthroderma benhamiae group.Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton violaceumform the T. rubrum group. This suggests that these “species” of dermatophytes have been overclassified. The ITS1 sequences of 11 clinical isolates were also determined to identify the species, and all strains were successfully identified by comparison of their base sequences with those in the ITS1 DNA sequence database.

This study demonstrated the application of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) ribosomal DNA sequences to the species identification and strain typing of 28 standard strains and 46 clinical isolates of the genus Malassezia. The size of ITS1 regions ranged from 162 to 266 bp. Members of the genus Malassezia (M. pachydermatis, M. furfur, M. sympodialis, M. globosa, M. obtusa, M. restricta and M. slooffiae) were classified into seven ITS1-homologous groups and 22 ITS1-identical, individual groups. The 46 clinical isolates of lipophilic Malassezia spp. were identified as belonging to just three ITS1-homologous groups, i.e., M. furfur (19 strains: 11 from pityriasis versicolor, 4 from seborrhoeic dermatitis and 4 from atopic dermatitis). M. sympodialis (22 strains: 7 from pityriasis versicolor, 3 from seborrhoeic dermatitis, 1 from atopic dermatitis and 11 from healthy controls) and M. slooffiae (five strains: three from chronic otitis media and two from healthy controls).

No abstract

No abstract

Diabetic angiopathy including micro- and macroangiopathy is concerned with high rate of morbidity and mortality in patients with long-standing diabetes. Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands have been considered as important pathogenic triggers for the progression of the vascular injuries in diabetes. The deleterious link between RAGE and diabetic angiopathy has been demonstrated in animal studies. Preventive and therapeutic strategies focusing on RAGE and its ligand axis may be of great importance in relieving diabetic vascular complications and reducing the burden of disease.

Using internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region ribosomal DNA sequences from 37 stock strains and clinical isolates provisionally termed Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex in Japan, we demonstrated the mutual phylogenetic relationships of these strains. Members of this complex were classified into 3 ITS1-homologous groups and 13 ITS1-identical groups by their sequences. ITS1-homologous group I consists of Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii, T. mentagrophytes human isolates, and several strains of T. mentagrophytes animal isolates. Five strains of Arthroderma simii form a cluster comprising ITS1-homologous group II. The Americano-European and African races of Arthroderma benhamiae, T. mentagrophytes var. erinacei, and one strain of a T. mentagrophytes animal isolate constitute ITS1-homologous group III. According to the phylogenetic tree constructed with Trichophyton rubrum as an outgroup, ITS1-homologous groups I and II comprised a monophyletic cluster and ITS1-homologous group III constituted another cluster which was rather distant from the others in the complex. This system was applicable to the phylogenetic analysis of closely related strains. Using this technique, human and animal isolates of T. mentagrophytes were also clearly distinguishable from each other.

An application of digital image processing techniques to speckle-shearing interferometry is described. A present system consists of an image-shearing camera using a Fresnel biprism of small angles and a digital TV-image processing facility. This interferometer makes it easy to measure in quasi-real-time spatial derivatives of surface displacement and modal vibration amplitude of objects. A statistical theory is applied to analyze the formations of these fringes due to 3-D displacement. Interpretation of the result leads to conditions of maximum fringe contrast and the limitation of this technique. Experimental results in the three cases of slope of normal displacement, surface strain, and slope of vibration amplitude measurements are presented.