Malassezia is a component of normal cutaneous resident microbiota. The aim of this study was to quantitatively clarify the differences in cutaneous Malassezia microbiota in healthy subjects by sex, body part and season. Samples were collected from the forehead, cheek, upper chest and upper back of 20 healthy men and 20 healthy women (average age 32 years) in summer and winter by the swab method. Malassezia DNA was analyzed using a real-time PCR system. As a result, in sex, body parts and season, men, the upper trunk and summer showed the highest total numbers of cutaneous Malassezia species on average. There were also differences depending on the analytical method. The predominant species were M. restricta on the face of men, M. globosa and M. dermatis on the upper trunk of men, and M. globosa and M. sympodialis on the upper trunk of women. This study clarified that the cutaneous Malassezia microbiota of healthy subjects differed by sex, body part and season.

Malassezia folliculitis [MF] is caused by the invasion of hair follicles by large numbers of Malassezia cells, but it remains unclear which Malassezia species are involved in the disease. To clarify this situation, Malassezia species isolated from lesions of MF patients were analyzed by both culture and non-culture methods. In addition, Malassezia species recovered from the non-lesion areas of the skin of MF patients and skin samples of healthy subjects were included in this study. The test population consisted of 32 MF patients and 40 healthy individuals. The lesions were obtained using a comedone extractor, while swabs were employed to obtain skin samples from non-lesion areas of the patients and healthy subjects. Malassezia DNA was analyzed using a real-time PCR technique. The detection limit of the culture method was 5 CFU/cm(2) as opposes 50 cells/cm(2) with non-culture procedures. The predominant species recovered from MF lesions were M. globosa and M. sympodialis by culture method analysis, and M. restricta, M. globosa, and M. sympodialis with non-culture methods. These results were in agreement with those found with samples from non-lesion skin areas of MF patients and healthy subjects. This study clarified that MF is caused by Malassezia species that are part of the cutaneous microflora and not by exogenous species.

Cold-stunned Kemp's ridley turtles may be affected by serious Enterococcus spp infections during rehabilitation. Recognition and treatment of these infections are important for successful rehabilitation.

Thoracic radiotherapy of more than 45 Gy, in combination with chemotherapy, was a significant risk factor for postoperative complications.

Information about drug residues and pharmacokinetic parameters in aquatic species is relatively sparse. In addition, it is difficult to rapidly compare data between studies due to differences in experimental conditions, such as water temperatures and salinity. To facilitate the study of aquatic species drug metabolism, we constructed a Fish Drug/Chemical Analysis Phish-Pharm (FDA-PP) database. This database consists of more than 400 articles that include data from 90 species (64 genera) of fish. Data fields include genus, species, water temperatures, the average animal weight, sample types analyzed, drug (or chemical) name, dosage, route of administration, metabolites identified, method of analysis, protein binding, clearance, volume of distribution in a central compartment (Vc) or volume of distribution at steady-state (Vd), and drug half-lives (t ½ ). Additional fields list the citation, authors, title, and Internet links. The document will be periodically updated, and users are invited to submit additional data. Updates will be announced in future issues of The AAPS Journal. This database will be a valuable resource to investigators of drug metabolism in aquatic species as well as government and private organizations involved in the drug approval process for aquatic species.KEYWORDS: aquatic, fish, drug, pharmacokinetics, residues, database, Web. INTRODUCTIONThere are currently very few drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in fish. [1][2][3][4] Although there are several reasons for this shortage, the primary factor is a lack of pharmaceutical sponsors willing to invest in the research needed to generate the data to support a drug approval. Such data include demonstration of drug efficacy and safety in the target species, human food safety, and environmental impact assessments. 5 The overall cost of obtaining the experimental data required for a New Animal Drug Application (NADA) can be in excess of $40 million. [6][7][8] Efforts to increase the availability of therapeutic agents for fish and for other minor species include work being done by the National Research Support Project No. 7 6 and the Proposals to Increase the Availability of Approved Animal Drugs forMinor Species and Minor Uses. 9 One strategy being explored for aquaculture drug products is to group species according to those species of fish likely to present with similar safety profiles, effectiveness characteristics, or withdrawal times. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Several approaches have been suggested for this "crop grouping," and the proposed basis for grouping species has included taxonomic class, salinity tolerance, or water temperature.The underlying theory for a taxonomic grouping is that organisms closely related phylogenetically might be expected to have similar drug metabolism and elimination. This is definitely the case in fish lacking certain renal elements such as glomeruli and distal tubules. 17 Drugs that are normally filtered by the glomerulus are retained much longer in these fish species....