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Biomedical subjects

N Masuda

Publications and source records attributed to N Masuda.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

Longitudinal survey of the distribution of various serotypes of Streptococcus mutans in infants.

The establishment of various serotypes of Streptococcus mutans was studied serologically in plaque samples collected from label surfaces of upper primary incisors of 22 infants (starting age, 5 to 13 months) over a period fo 30 months. Clinical examinations were also performed. No clear-cut association between the initiation of dental caries and previous detection of S. mutans was noted. However, all 12 of the infants with caries had S. mutans isolated at some time during the course of this study. The most common serotype isolated at the initial establishment of S. mutans on the tooth surfaces was serotype c, whereas types d, e, and g became established in a few cases. During the test period, changes in the distribution of serotypes of S. mutans were observed in some cases. The initiation of carious lesions could be found in a few cases even when S. mutans comprised about 1% or less of the total streptococcal count of the specimen from the tooth surfaces. Serotype d/g strains tended to develop carious lesions on smooth surfaces, although serotype c was isolated from almost all individuals who developed caries.

Child, Preschool↗

Dental caries induction in experimental animals by clinical strains of Streptococcus mutans isolated from Japanese children.

Oral implantation and the cariogenic activity of clinical strains of Streptococcus mutans which had been isolated from Japanese children and labeled with streptomycin-resistance were examined in specific pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats. All the seven strains tested were easily implanted and persisted during the experimental period. Extensive carious lesions were produced in rats inoculated with clinical strains of S. mutans belonging to serotypes c, d, e, and f, and maintained on caries-inducing diet no. 2000. Noninfected rats did not develop dental caries when fed diet no. 2000. Type d S. mutans preferentially induced smooth surface caries in the rats. Strains of other serotypes primarily developed caries of pit and fissure origin. Caries also developed in rats inoculated with reference S. mutans strains BHTR and FAIR (type b) that had been maintained in the laboratories for many years. However, the cariogenicity of the laboratory strains was found to have decreased markedly. All three S. sanguis strains could be implanted, but only one strain induced definite fissure caries. Two S. salivarius strains could not be implanted well in the rats and therefore they were not cariogenic. Four different species of lactobacilli also failed to induce dental caries in rats subjected to similar caries test regimen on diet no. 200. S. mutans strain MT6R (type c) also induce caries in golden hamsters and ICR mice, but of variable degrees.

Animals↗

Preferential acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the formamide linkage of N'-formylkynurenine in frozen solution.

Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the formamide linkage of N-acetyl-N'-formyl-L-kynurenineamide in frozen dilute hydrochloric acid solution followed first-order kinetics, yielding N-acetyl-L-kynurenineamide as the sole reaction product. The maximum rate of reaction in the frozen solution was found at around -7.5 degrees and approximated that of the reaction in liquid solution at 40 degrees. By freezing the dilute acid solution at -8 degrees the reaction was accelerated by 60 times compared with that in super-cooled liquid solution at the same temperature.

Formamides↗

Epidemiological survey of Streptococcus mutans among Japanese children. Identification and serological typing of the isolated strains.

An epidemiological investigation was carried out to identify and determine the serotypes of Streptococcus mutans from carious lesions of young Japanese children. For this purpose, a direct fluorescent antibody technique was mainly used. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated antibodies were prepared for the five known serotypes of S. mutans. Cross reactions and nonspecific reactions were eliminated by adsorption, counterstaining, or DEAE-cellulosecolumn chromatography. Agar-gel immunodiffusion was used to distinguish between serotypes a and d. The epidemiological survey suggested that serotype c strains were most prevalent in dental plaques of Japanese children. The d and e serotypes were rare and serotypes a and b were not detected. It was also noted that more than one serotype of S. mutans could be found in the same locus of a carious lesion and that there might be no relationship between the degree of caries and the causative serotype(s) of S. mutans.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Inhibition of rat dental caries by dextranase from a strain of Spicaria violacea.

Dextranase AD17 obtained from a culture liquor of a strain of Spicaria violacea was assessed for its ability to inhibit the development of dental caries in conventional Sprague-Dawley rats which had been infected with one of the Streptococcus mutans strains. MT6R (serotype c), OMZ 176R (d), or MT-703R (e). These experiments showed that caries was significantly inhibited when rats were given cariogenic diets No. 2000 and drinking water containing AD17 at a concentration of 10 units/g, as compared to control rats not given dextranase. The inhibitory effects of AD17 were more prominent in smooth surface caries than in total caries. AD17 had a tendency to retard both the establishment of inoculated S. mutans and plaque deposition on tooth surfaces. However, S. mutans could be implanted in the rat oral cavity after repeated inoculation of the bacteria, even in the presence of AD17. These results suggest that the anticaries activity of AD17 is due to not only inhibition of adherence of S. mutans cells on tooth surfaces but also to physiochemical changes of dental plaque formed under the enzymatic action of AD17. Preliminary histophatological examination showed that AD17 had no significant toxicity in rats.

Animals↗

Effect of dextranase on the extracellular polysaccharide synthesis of Streptococcus mutans; chemical and scanning electron microscopy studies.

A dextranase preparation (AD17) partially purified from a culture liquor of Spicaria violacea strain IFO 6120 significantly inhibited the formation of artifcial dental plaque on a steel wire or on an extracted tooth surface. Changes in the surface morphology of Streptococcus mutans cells due to AD17 action were studied using scanning electron microscopy. S. mutans cells grown in 5% sucrose-containing broth were coated with sticky amorphous capsule-like material, whereas cells grown in sucrose in the presence of AD17 or in glucose instead of sucrose did not synthesize such capsular material. AK17 degraded commercially available dextrans of molecular weight 7 X 1(04) and 2 X 10(6) to liberate glucose and various oligosaccharides, including isomaltose. On the other hand, AD17 hydrolyzed the extracellular polysaccharides (mainly glucan in nature) of some strains of S. mutans to a limited degree. Only 15 to 36% of the total polysaccharides were hydrolyzed by AD1M with little release of isomaltose. Prolonged incubation of the polysaccharides from S. mutans with AD17 did not release additional reducing sugars, which indicates that AD17 did not contain alpha-1,3-glucanase activity. These results suggest that glucosidic linkages which are susceptible to AD17 may play an important role in the adherence of S. mutans cells to smooth surfaces.

Dental Plaque↗