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Umami taste is one of the five basic taste qualities, along with sweet, bitter, sour, and salty, and is elicited by some l-amino acids and their salts, including monopotassium l-glutamate (MPG). The unique characteristic of umami taste is that it is synergistically enhanced by 5'-ribonucleotides such as inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP). Unlike the other four basic taste qualities, the presence of umami taste sense in avian species is not fully understood. In this study, we demonstrated the expression of multiple umami taste receptor candidates in oral and gastrointestinal tract tissues in chickens using RT-PCR analysis. We first showed the metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) expressed in these tissues. Furthermore, we examined the preference for umami taste in chickens, focusing on the synergistic effect of umami taste as determined by the two-feed choice test. We concluded that chickens preferred feed containing both added MPG and added IMP over feeds containing either added MPG or added IMP alone and over the control feed. These results suggest that the umami taste sense and synergism are conserved in chickens.

PurposeExfoliated malignant cells, present along staple lines of anastomosis, may be responsible for anastomotic recurrence of colon cancer. We aimed to assess the impact of surgical bowel occlusion around the tumor and intraluminal lavage on the presence of exfoliated malignant cells at anastomosis sites in patients with colon cancer.MethodsIn this prospective study, 32 patients with colon cancer, requiring right hemicolectomy between January 2007 and September 2008, were randomly assigned to a control group (no surgical bowel occlusion; 18 patients) and a “no-touch” group that underwent surgical bowel occlusion around the tumor before tumor manipulation (14 patients). The fluid used intraoperatively to irrigate the portion of the bowel clamped distal to the tumor was examined cytologically, and exfoliated cells of cytological classes IV and V were considered malignant.ResultsIn the control group, 2 (11.1%) and 10 (55.6%) of 18 patients had exfoliated malignant cells at the terminal ileum and distal colon anastomosis sites, respectively; however, only 1 (7.1%) of the 14 patients in the no-touch group had exfoliated malignant cells at both the sites. The frequency of exfoliated malignant cells at the distal colon anastomosis site was significantly lower in the no-touch group (p = 0.0024). No exfoliated malignant cells were found upon saline irrigation of 400 ml or more in either group.ConclusionMeasures, such as surgical bowel occlusion around the tumor and intraluminal lavage, can prevent or eliminate exfoliated malignant cells at anastomotic sites in patients with colon cancer.

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In this paper, we report on a newly developed printing method called the “soft blanket gravure” (SBG) printing method, which is based on a conventional gravure offset printing method but unlike it, SBG printing uses a very soft and thick offset blanket. SBG printing onto various curved, nonplanar surfaces as well as on planar surfaces using silver ink was successfully demonstrated by optimizing printing conditions such as printing pressure and printing speed. Finely printed conductive silver lines with a 30 µm line width were formed on the curved surfaces. This printing method will have new applications in three-dimensional printed electronics.