In 1998, an epidemic of enterovirus 71 (EV 71) infection occurred in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to assess the epidemiology of EV 71 infection in Taiwan. Between March 1998 and December 2005, a total of 1,548 severe cases of hand-foot-mouth disease and herpangina (HFMD/HA) was reported to the Center for Disease Control in Taiwan. A seasonal variation in number of severe cases was observed, with the annual peak in second quarter. Deaths from severe HFMD/HA varied from year to year (chi(2) for trend = 6.781, P = 0.009). Most (92%) cases occurred in children

A transghtcosidase of Aspergik niger had hydrolysis and transglucosylation activities toward several types of malto-and isomalto-oligosaccharides. The activity was competitively inhibited by glucose and mannose but was not inhibited by galactose and fructose. The KS of glucose and mannose were 12.9 mM and 75.9 mM, respectively. The enzyme was stable in storage at -20 "C with 60% (v/v) glycerol and 4 "C for at least 40 days.

The risk factors for mortality for CRAB included intensive care unit stay, a high Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, respiratory tract as the origin of bacteremia, and previous use of ceftriaxone. Early implementation of an antimicrobial agent that had the highest in vitro activity against CRAB in patients at risk of CRAB bacteremia and high mortality may improve their outcome.

An extracellular beta-glucosidase II (beta-Glu II) has been purified to homogeneity by column chromatography from Aspergillus niger CCRC 31494. Its molecular mass was estimated to be 360 kDa by gel filtration and 120 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The enzyme has a pI of 4.0 and has optimum activity at pH 4.5 and 60 degrees C. The beta-Glu II was completely inhibited by 5.0 mM Fe(2+). Methanol (20%, v/v) activated the enzyme activity at 1.8-fold. V(max) values of 10.2 and 464 units/mg were found for p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucoside (K(m) = 2.2 mM) and for cellobiose (K(m) = 15.4 mM). The enzyme was strongly inhibited by substrates, p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucopyranoside in excess of 7.5 mM and cellobiose in excess of 50 mM, and was competitively inhibited by glucose with a K(i) of 5.7 mM. Transglucosylation products of cellotriose, methyl beta-glucoside and ethyl beta-glucoside, were obtained under neutral conditions and in the presence of methanol and ethanol, respectively.

Water-soluble extracts from Gouda-type cheese in a 0.05M sodium citrate buffer at pH 4.0 were fractionated by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) before and after ripening for 1, 2, and 3 months. Three major peptides were isolated from each sample of extract, but size of the peaks increased with ripening period. The amino acid compositions of these peptides were similar to fragments of asl-casein, i.e., cYsl-CN(fl-9), cYsl-CN(fl-13) and cwsl-CN(fl-14). asl-CN(fl-23) was hydrolyzed by cellular proteases of Srreprococcus cremoris H61; seven main peptides including asl-CN(fl-9), usl-CN(fl-13) and usl-CN(fl-14) were isolated and characterized by HPLC. This suggests that hydrolysis of asl-CN(fl-23) by lactic acid bacterial proteinase is one of the main pathways of asl-casein degradation during Gouda-type cheese ripening.

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