Abstract: Provided is an agent or a food or drink for inhibiting the onset of overall disease. An agent for inhibiting a decrease in a disease-free rate comprises a lactic acid bacterium as an active ingredient.

Abstract: To provide a marker for determining sensitivity to an anti-cancer agent, which can determine whether or not a patient has a therapeutic response to the anti-cancer agent, and cancer therapeutic means employing the marker.

Abstract: A butyrate-producing bacterium belonging to Anaerostipes hadrus is provided. The amount of butyrate produced is at least 1.5 times that of Anaerostipes hadrus YIT 10092T (DSM 3319T) and is measured by thawing a frozen stock solution of the bacterial strain (a 10% (w/v) skim milk-2% sodium glutamate solution with suspended bacterial cells) (cell count: 2.0 to 5.5×1010 cells/mL), inoculating the solution at 1% to 4 mL of a PY liquid medium supplemented with 33 mM sodium acetate and 0.5 (w/v) % glucose (PYGA medium), followed by anaerobic culture at 37° C. for 24 hours, then inoculating the culture solution at 1% to a PYGA medium, followed by anaerobic culture at 37° C. for 24 hours, then inoculating the culture solution at 1% to a PY medium containing 33 mM sodium acetate and 0.5 (w/v) % L-sorbose, followed by anaerobic culture at 37° C. for 24 hours, and then measuring the butyrate concentration.

Abstract: A composition which has high 4?-GL purity and can be used as a reference standard for various analyses can be obtained by a more convenient method than one conventionally used. A method for preparing a high-purity 4?-GL composition includes the steps of: (A) subjecting a 4?-GL-containing galacto-oligosaccharide to activated carbon column chromatography, and performing stepwise elution with plural organic solvent aqueous solutions, wherein the organic solvent aqueous solutions are used such that the concentration of the organic solvent in the organic solvent aqueous solution is higher than the concentration of the organic solvent in the immediately preceding organic solvent aqueous solution with respect to a series of elutions; and (B) adding an organic solvent to the final fraction eluted in step (A), and crystallizing the 4?-GL.

Abstract: An object is to provide a method for producing dried microbial cells with a high viable cell survival rate after long-term storage at a high temperature. A method for producing dried microbial cells that achieves the above-mentioned object is characterized in that microbial cells are suspended in a dispersion medium containing a protective agent, an antioxidant, and a chelating agent, followed by drying.

Abstract: To provide an agent for overcoming immunosuppression which can overcome immunosuppression by regulatory T cells. An agent for overcoming immunosuppression and an inhibitor of FOXP3 function containing an anthracycline antibiotic as an active ingredient.

Abstract: Using the cobblestone area (CA) formation inhibitory activity of human leukemic stem cell-like cells as an indicator, a fraction having the activity has been extracted from the fat-soluble fraction of Porifera, then, a compound having the activity has been isolated and purified from the aforementioned fraction, and then, the structure thereof has been determined, so that a Stelliferin compound comprising a novel compound has been identified. Moreover, it has been found that the isolated and purified Stelliferin compound significantly suppresses the niche formation of leukemic stem cell-like cells derived from human chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) having resistance to existing antitumor agents and enhances the effects of antitumor agents on the cells.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of quantitating or detecting a microorganism, capable of detecting a live microorganism at high sensitivity and more precisely. A method of quantitating a microorganism of interest, using as an index the amount of rRNA of the microorganism of interest is provided.

Abstract: Provided is a technique for enabling a liquid of microbial cells having an enzymatic activity to be easily stored and used. The technique is a method for killing a microorganism while maintaining the enzyme titer of a microbial cell liquid, characterized by including adjusting the pH of a liquid of microbial cells having an enzymatic activity, and then performing a heating treatment of the liquid, and also the technique is a method for killing a microorganism while maintaining the enzyme titer of a microbial cell liquid, characterized by including adding a carbohydrate to a liquid of microbial cells having an enzymatic activity, and then performing a heating treatment of the liquid.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for determining whether a test subject has equol-producing ability or not. The method involves measuring equol-producing ability of a test subject, wherein an equol converting enzyme gene derived from enteric bacteria of the test subject is detected using three types of primer sets described herein as the primer sets a) to c).

Abstract: It is to provide a packaging container comprising: a synthetic resin container body having a flange part at a periphery of an opening at an upper end thereof; and a container cap having a top board part and a skirt part provided such that it is suspended from a-periphery of the top board part, and wherein the top board part is heat-sealed onto an upper surface of the flange part of the container body; wherein the packaging container has a first cutout part at an upper end of an outer edge of the flange part. By providing a first cutout part, a packaging container possible to achieve sealing with the container cap stably, and to open the sealing easily and surely as well can be provided, by suppressing the effect of a molten resin on a folded corner part of the skirt of the container cap when the container body is heat-sealed with the container cap.

Abstract: Provided are a method for regulating acid resistance of a microorganism by suppressing the expression of the fadD gene therein and a screening method for a microorganism having acid resistance by using the expression level of the fadD gene as an index. A method for regulating acid resistance of a microorganism, including suppressing the expression of fadD gene present in the microorganism.

Abstract: A marker for determining a mental disease is provided. The marker can be used in an objective diagnosis of such a mental disease. The marker contains one or more enterobacteria of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus reuteri subgroup, Lactobacillus sakei subgroup, Atopobium cluster, Bacteroides fragilis group, Enterococcus, Clostridium coccoides group, Clostridium leptum subgroup, Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens, and Enterobacteriaceae.

Abstract: A tien-cha extract essence characterized by being obtained by subjecting a tien-cha extract to an activated carbon treatment, and a method for producing a fermented food product using the tien-cha extract essence provide a technique which can be replaced for a tien-cha essence obtained by subjecting a tien-cha extract to electrodialysis having various problems, has no effect on flavor while maintaining the effects of the tien-cha extract of increasing the growth ability of lactic acid bacteria and the viability or the like of bifidobacterium bacteria, has an unprecedented effect of increasing the growth ability of bifidobacterium bacteria, and facilitates production and powderization.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a fermented milk food, in which the viability of lactic acid bacteria during storage is high, the increase in acidity is suppressed, the viable cell count is less reduced, and the flavor is less deteriorated. A method for producing a fermented milk food by which the object was achieved is characterized by inoculating and culturing lactic acid bacteria in a culture medium containing a milk as a main component and supplemented with glucose in such an amount that glucose is substantially entirely assimilated at the time of completion of culturing and fructose in an amount twice or more the amount of glucose in a mass ratio.

Abstract: To provide a marker for determining sensitivity to an anti-cancer agent, which can determine whether or not a patient has a therapeutic response to the anti-cancer agent, and cancer therapeutic means employing the marker.

Abstract: A culture product comprising a large quantity of ethyl benzoate and has a more complex and fresher fruity aroma than a chemically synthesized product. The culture product is obtained by culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Wickerhamomyces in a milk component-containing culture medium.

Abstract: A high-speed continuous rotary type filling and packaging machine can identifies a defective filling head and a defective seal head and it also identify which part of a seal working surface in the seal head has a defect. In a sealing device of the high-seed continuous rotary type filling and packaging machine that covers a container body, which is filled with liquid contents, with a molded lid and seals the container body and the molded lid to produce a sealed container, a filling head number and a seal head number are inkjet-printed, desirably transparent ink, which can be read by irradiation of an ultraviolet ray, on a container body in which a seal working surface in the seal head and the top surface of the container molded lid are brought into press-contact and a positional relation between a seal working surface and the sealed container is fixed.

Abstract: Provided is a novel preventive or therapeutic agent for celiac disease. A preventive or therapeutic agent for celiac disease, comprising at least one bacterium belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium selected from the group consisting of Bifidobacterium breve and Bifidobacterium bifidum and/or a processed bacterial cell thereof as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A container inspection device includes an inlet conveyor, an outlet conveyor, a mounting table having a mounting surface, a chamber portion having an opening in a section of the chamber portion, in which a receiving space is formed when the mounting surface contacts the chamber portion to close the opening, and a transfer. The transfer is movable in the certain direction at a speed greater than the conveying speed of the cartons by the inlet conveyor. The transfer holds multiple ones of the cartons that have been conveyed by the inlet conveyor collectively and conveys the cartons to the mounting surface of the mounting table, and holds the multiple ones of the cartons mounted on the mounting surface collectively and conveys the cartons to the outlet conveyor.