Mary Ann LiebertActa Medica Okayama153531411042013Isolation and characterization of pandemic and nonpandemic strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from an outbreak of diarrhea in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India338342ENGoutamChowdhuryNational Institute of Cholera and Enteric DiseasesSantanuGhoshNational Institute of Cholera and Enteric DiseasesGururaja P.PazhaniNational Institute of Cholera and Enteric DiseasesBimal K.PaulIntegrated Disease Surveillance Program, Directorate of Health ServicesDipankarMajiIntegrated Disease Surveillance Program, Directorate of Health ServicesAsish K.MukhopadhyayNational Institute of Cholera and Enteric DiseasesThandavarayanRamamurthyNational Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Strains of the enteric pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus harboring the thermostable hemolysin (TDH) encoding gene tdh is known to cause epidemic and pandemic diarrhea. In industrialized countries, this pathogen causes sporadic or outbreaks of diarrheal illness associated with consumption of raw or improperly cooked seafood. This report describes a foodborne outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by V. parahaemolyticus in June 2011 following consumption of food served at a funeral reception held at Habra, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. About 650 people attended the function, of whom 44 had acute watery diarrhea with other clinical symptoms; 35 of them were admitted to the District Hospital for the rehydration treatment. Stool specimens collected from three hospitalized cases were positive for V. parahaemolyticus, of which two strains were identified as an O4:K8 serovar and one was identified as O3:K6 serovar. The O3:K6 strain also possessed the pandemic group-specific toxRS gene target (GS), whereas the O4:K8 strains were negative. All strains were polymerase chain reaction-positive for tdh but were polymerase chain reaction-negative for trh. All of the strains were resistant to ampicillin but were pansensitive to other antimicrobials tested. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis using NotI showed that the O3:K6 strain was similar to that of a recent clinical strain from Kolkata, but had diverged from other strains during previous years. In contrast, PFGE analysis showed that the O4:K8 strains were closely related but differed from the Kolkata strain.No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.Mary Ann LiebertActa Medica Okayama193733412519-202019A reporter system evaluates tumorigenesis, metastasis, ƒÀ-catenin/MMP regulation, and druggability14131425ENChiharuSogawaDepartment of Dental Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityTakanoriEguchiDepartment of Dental Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityYukaOkushaDepartment of Dental Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityKishoOnoDepartment of Dental Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityKazumiOhyamaDepartment of Dental Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityMotoharuIizukaResearch program for undergraduate students, Okayama University Dental SchoolRyuKawasakiResearch program for undergraduate students, Okayama University Dental SchoolYusakuHamadaResearch program for undergraduate students, Okayama University Dental SchoolMasaharuTakigawaAdvanced Research Center for Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityNorioSogawaDepartment of Dental Pharmacology, Matsumoto Dental UniversityKuniakiOkamotoDepartment of Dental Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityKen-ichiKozaki Department of Dental Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Cancer invasion, metastasis, and therapy resistance are the crucial phenomena in cancer malignancy. The high-expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) is a biomarker as well as a causal factor of cancer invasiveness and metastatic activity. However, a regulatory mechanism underlying MMP9 expression in cancer is not clarified yet. Additionally, a new strategy for anti-cancer drug discovery is becoming an important clue. In the present study, we aimed (i) to develop a novel reporter system evaluating tumorigenesis, invasiveness, metastasis, and druggability with a combination of three-dimensional (3D) tumoroid model and Mmp9 promoter and (ii) to examine pharmacological actions of anti-cancer medications using this reporter system. High expression and genetic amplification of MMP9 were found in colon cancer cases. We found that proximal promoter sequences of MMP9 in murine and human contained conserved binding sites for transcription factors ƒÀ-catenin/TCF/LEF, glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and NF-ƒÈB. The murine Mmp9 promoter (-569 to +19) was markedly activated in metastatic colon cancer cells and additionally activated by tumoroid formation and by ƒÀ-catenin signaling stimulator lithium chloride (LiCl). The Mmp9 promoter-driven fluorescent reporter cells enabled the monitoring of activities of MMP9/gelatinase, tumorigenesis, invasion, and metastasis in allogeneic/syngenic transplantation experiments. We also demonstrated pharmacological actions as follows. ids Dexamethasone and hydrocortisone, steroidal medications binding to GR, inhibited the Mmp9 promoter but did not inhibit tumorigenesis. On the other hand, an antimetabolite 5-fluorouracil, a golden standard for colon cancer chemotherapy, inhibited tumoroid formation but did not inhibit Mmp9 promoter activity. Notably, anti-malaria medication artesunate inhibited both tumorigenesis and the Mmp9 promoter in vitro, potentially through inhibition of ƒÀ-catenin/TCF/LEF signaling. Thus, this novel reporter system enabled monitoring tumorigenesis, invasiveness, metastasis, key regulatory signalings such as ƒÀ-catenin/MMP9 axis, and druggability.No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.Mary Ann LiebertActa Medica Okayama1531-10742072020The Albedo of Ryugu: Evidence for a High Organic Abundance, as Inferred from the Hayabusa2 Touchdown Maneuver916921ENChristianPotiszilPheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama UniversityRyojiTanakaThe Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama UniversityKatsuraKobayashiThe Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama UniversityTakKunihiroThe Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama UniversityEizoNakamuraThe Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama UniversityThe Hayabusa2 mission successfully collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu last year and will return these to Earth in December 2020. It is anticipated that the samples will enable the analysis of terrestrially uncontaminated organic matter and minerals. Such analyses are in turn expected to elucidate the evolution of organic matter through Solar System history, including the origination and processing of biogenically important molecules, which could have been utilized by the first organisms on Earth. In anticipation, studies have made predictions concerning the properties of Ryugu, including its composition. The spectral characteristics of Ryugu, such as albedo, have been employed to relate the asteroid to members of the carbonaceous chondrite group that have been identified on Earth. However, the recent Hayabusa2 touchdown highlights a disparity between the color of surfaces of displaced platy fragments, indicating a brightening trend for the surface exposed to space compared to that facing into the body. Here we present a mass balance calculation with reference to data from the literature, which indicates that Ryugu may contain a significantly higher abundance of organic matter (likely >50%) than the currently most accepted meteorite analogues. A high organic content may result in high levels of extractable organic matter for the second touchdown site, where the spacecraft sampled freshly exposed material. However, high abundances of insoluble aromatic/graphitic rich organic matter may be present in the first touchdown site, which sampled the surface of Ryugu that had been exposed to space. Moreover, we suggest that the potentially high organic abundance and the rubble-pile nature of Ryugu may originate from the capture of rocky debris by a comet nucleus and subsequent water-organic-mineral interactions and sublimation of water ice.No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.