In the

LH, single-labeled orexin-ir cells and cells doubl

In the

LH, single-labeled orexin-ir cells and cells double-labeled for both orexin and Fos, here called orexin/Fos-ir, were counted within an area defined by the presence of the orexin-ir cells. Therefore number, not density, of orexin-ir and orexin/Fos-ir cells per section is reported here. Double-labeled cells in the VTA and LH were not included in measures of Fos-ir cells to provide non-dopaminergic or non-orexinergic cell phenotype-specific insights. Measurements PCI-32765 mw from each tissue section were averaged across sections to create one measurement per subregion per hamster. With data from so many subregions within each hamster, one goal of our statistical approach was to simplify the data and present it at a circuit level by identifying clusters of regions that showed similar patterns of Fos expression across animals. To do so, we used a combination of factor analysis and descriptive correlational analyses to complement Acalabrutinib chemical structure previous functional and anatomical findings. Factor analysis, with principal axis factoring and a promax rotation, identified two clusters of subregions. Cluster 1 included Cg1, PrL, IL, AcbC, AcbSh, MePD, MePV, IF, PN, PBP and Tail, and we refer

to regions in this cluster as mesocorticolimbic. Cluster 2 included DM/PeF, LH, VMHM and VMHL, and we refer to regions in this cluster as hypothalamic. We then computed the correlations among the regions within each cluster as well as between the two clusters. The average within-cluster correlation was

0.34 in the mesocorticolimbic cluster and 0.42 in the hypothalamic cluster, based on 55 and six correlations, respectively. These indicate that Fos expression levels in subregions within the same cluster were consistently correlated with one another. We also examined correlations between regions falling into the two different clusters, and here the average of the 44 between-cluster correlations was 0.05, supporting the idea that Fos responses in these two clusters are relatively independent. Fos-ir cell density was next analysed with multilevel modeling treating animal as the upper-level sampling unit and brain region as the lower-level sampling unit. In this analysis, the cluster the region belonged to (mesocorticolimbic vs. hypothalamic) was treated as a within-subject variable, and age (juvenile vs. adult) and swab (blank vs. VS) were treated as between-subject Erythromycin independent variables. Multilevel modeling provides a more powerful analysis than a traditional repeated measures anova because it allows for analysis even if data from all subregions were unavailable for each hamster (as was the case in two juvenile and one adult hamsters due to poor quality tissue sections). The error structure was modeled to impose the traditional homoscedasticity assumption used in anova. Our hypotheses predicted that swab (blank vs. VS) will differentially affect Fos expression in adults and juvenile animals in some subregions.

She had no past medical, surgical, or drug history Her menstrual

She had no past medical, surgical, or drug history. Her menstrual cycle was regular and previous

cervical smears normal. Her hormone profile and hysterosalpingogram were normal. Two weeks following the hysterosalpingogram she presented with a 3-day history of intermenstrual bleeding and lower abdominal pain. On examination she had supra-pubic tenderness associated with cervical excitation and bleeding from the cervical os. Full blood count, including eosinophil count, was normal. A subsequent laparoscopy demonstrated pelvic adhesions affecting both fallopian tubes; the left Fallopian tube was distended with a semi-solid partially calcified material. Histopathology showed the fallopian tube wall to be grossly expanded by granulomas. Areas of inflammation appeared acutely eosinophilic with eosinophil degranulation MK-2206 supplier and necrosis.

Schistosoma haematobium were seen and schistosomal enzyme immunoassay was positive. She was treated with praziquantel. The patient had traveled extensively 8–9 years previously, including to Egypt and East Africa, where she swam in Lake Malawi. She had had no post-travel screening for tropical infections. GS-1101 clinical trial Devastating cases such as these are rare but genital tract disease has been well recognized, particularly in endemic areas, since the first case of vaginal schistosomiasis was described in 1899.1,2 Both sexes can develop genital tract pathologies, but the prevalence is significantly higher in women.3 Infection of the genital tract is most commonly caused by the S. haematobium species and is largely localized to the vagina and cervix, but can affect

any part of the female reproductive tract due to the close proximity of genital venous plexi, which allows easy parasitic migration.2,4 Local genital infection can remain asymptomatic or can present in a variety of ways including: pruritis, swelling, ulceration, wart-like growths, sandy patches, fistulae, discharge, disturbed menstruation, postcoital bleeding, dyspareunia, infertility, fetal loss, or pelvic Adenosine triphosphate inflammatory disease.3,5 Cervical neoplasia has also been identified as a long-term complication of genital schistosomiasis.2,6 Other sequalae of ectopic schistosomiasis include appendicitis, pulmonary, and spinal-cord disease. With increasing migration and travel, such presentations will present more commonly in the developed world. The World Health Organization currently advises that post-travel screening is unnecessary for short-term travelers who have not experienced health problems or have had only trivial, self-limiting symptoms, but recommends that travelers should be advised to seek advice if they consider that they have been exposed to a serious infectious disease.7 Swimming in Lake Malawi appears to represent a substantial risk for acquiring schistosomiasis. Cetron and colleagues estimated the risk to be 70% for an exposure of 1 day, increasing to 88% for a 10-day exposure.

The substrate specificity of the AT domains in the PKSs was predi

The substrate specificity of the AT domains in the PKSs was predicted using the web server sbspks (Anand et al., 2010). The fosmid sequences were deposited at NCBI under the accession numbers JN121120–JN121124. Fungal mycelia were harvested from an 8-day PDA liquid culture by ultracentrifugation at 10 000 g for 15 min. The mycelia were kept at −80 °C before RNA extraction. The total this website RNA was isolated from 100 mg of frozen mycelia using the TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen) and was then treated with an RNeasy MinElute Cleanup kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany). The primers were designed on the exon regions in the fosmid sequences (Table S1). The quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was performed

using the Mx3000P™ Real-Time PCR System (Stratagene, Waldbronn, Germany). The 25-μL qPCR reactions contained 5 ng RNA, 0.1 μm primers and

1× Verso™ 1-Step QPCR SYBR Green Mix (ABgene Ltd, Epsom, UK). The thermal cycling conditions were as follows: 50 °C for 15 min; 95 °C for 15 min; followed by 40 cycles of 15 s at 95 °C, 30 s at 55 °C and 30 s at 72 °C; and 95 °C for 30 s, 60 °C for 30 s, and 95 °C for 30 s for the dissociation curve analyses. The elongation factor 1α genes (tef1) of C. militaris (Liu et al., 2009) and Cordyceps ninchukispora strain BCC 26678 obtained from NCBI (Table S2) were used for normalizing the gene expression in strains 1630 and DSM 1153, respectively. The expression level of the target genes (ER) was expressed as A colony radial growth assay was performed by many inoculating CT99021 3 μL spore suspension (1 × 105 spores mL−1) on a sterilized filter paper disk placed in the center of a PDA plate. Images were taken after a 15-day growth at 20 °C in the dark. For microscopic observation, cultures were prepared by inoculating

a small amount of mycelia on a 1-cm3 PDA block placed on a microscopic slide (Stevens, 1981). The blocks were then covered with a coverslip and incubated at 20 °C. After removing the slab, the mycelia on the coverslip were fixed with Carnoy’s fixative and observed using a Zeiss Axioskop microscope (Carl Zeiss, Germany). To compare the biochemical signatures of the two strains, the growth medium and mycelia from 300 mL liquid culture were extracted with acetyl acetate and chloroform/acetone (1 : 1, v/v) and analyzed using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). Details are provided in the electronic Supporting Information. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences from the two Cordyceps strains was amplified by PCR using the primers listed in Table S1. The sequences were deposited at NCBI with accession numbers JN121119 and JN121122. The reference sequences were downloaded from NCBI (Table S2). A phylogenetic tree was constructed with Bayesian Inference using the beast v1.6.1 package (Drummond & Rambaut, 2007).

Furthermore, SA1101 showed an inhibitory effect toward the growth

Furthermore, SA1101 showed an inhibitory effect toward the growth of osteoblastic cells and had greater properties of adhesion to those cells as compared to ATCC49456. Conclusions.  These TSA HDAC supplier results suggest that S. mitis SA1101 is a possible etiological agent and caused osteomyelitis in the present case. “
“International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 22: 318–323 Background.  Mucocele is a common oral lesion in children and adolescents. Different techniques have been described for the treatment; however, all of them are invasive. Aim.  This work studied the efficacy of micro-marsupialization

for the treatment for mucoceles in paediatric patients. Design.  A retrospective review was performed using the clinical records of patients aged between 0 and 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of mucocele. The following data were obtained: age, gender, location and size of the lesion, duration of mucocele development, and type of treatment and its results. Results.  The mean age of the patients was 11.1 ± 3.95 years. Mucoceles were found in the lower lip (83.7%), buccal mucosa (11.6%), and tongue (4.7%). From the overall cohort of 86 cases, 33 were treated by micro-marsupialization,

of which five developed a recurrence that required surgical excision. The other 53 cases were treated by surgical excision, and three of these had recurrent disease. No statistically significant difference was found between the

treatment methods. Conclusions.  Micro-marsupialization can be Urocanase used to treat mucoceles in paediatric dentistry. It is simpler to perform, minimally invasive, X-396 requires no local infiltration of anaesthesia, has a lower postoperative complications rate, and is well-tolerated by patients. “
“Current molar hypomineralisation (MH) indices do not guide clinicians in management of affected dentitions, and treatment is based on individual judgment. The aims of this study were to describe characteristics of MH and molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) and trial the new Molar Hypomineralisation Severity Index (MHSI). First permanent molars (FPMs) and permanent incisors (PIs) in 283 affected children were examined for hypomineralisation characteristics [defect colour, location, post-eruptive breakdown (PEB); restorations placed/replaced/atypical; sensitivity]. The MHSI scores were compared with treatment received (152 children). Mean (SD) affected teeth/dentition were as follows: FPMs: 3.2 (1.0) and PIs: 1.6 (1.6). Affected FPMs showed no arch or quadrant predilection; maxillary central PIs were affected particularly. As affected FPMs/dentition increased, MIH diagnoses also increased (P = 0.009). Among FPMs, defects most prevalent were brown (47%) and cuspal (74%); 67% showed PEB. Before study entry, 43% of FPMs had restorations placed/replaced. Among PIs, white defects were common (65%) on smooth surfaces; sensitivity was rare.

HCV/HIV-coinfected patients were more likely to discontinue the i

HCV/HIV-coinfected patients were more likely to discontinue the initial HAART regimen because of intolerance/toxicity, as were those on a boosted PI regimen. The incidence of change of initial HAART because of intolerance/toxicity in recent years might have been overestimated in our analysis because recently clinicians have become

more aware of toxicities and may interrupt drug treatment earlier in order to prevent toxicity rather than after symptoms have been observed. Both the increasing number of drugs available and improved knowledge of drug-specific side effects may be responsible for this. A similar attitude to early changes of first-line HAART might be responsible for the lack of a decreasing clear trend over time in discontinuation because of failure. Clinicians may have become more aware of the fact that even low viraemia after treatment failure can select for virus with several buy GS-1101 new drug resistance mutations

and exhaust future drug options. Furthermore, the recent availability of ultrasensitive viral load assays might favour earlier detection of active viral replication and thus virological failure. This speculation is supported by the evidence of a decreasing trend in median viral load at the time of switch because of virological failure over the calendar period of HAART initiation. It is possible that the adoption of simplification strategies, favoured by the high antiviral potency of new combinations, leading to an increased proportion of patients achieving undetectable viraemia in recent years, may have compensated for the decreased incidence

of discontinuation because Acalabrutinib of intolerance/toxicity, resulting, overall, in similar rates of discontinuation among those starting HAART in different calendar periods. The probability of modifying the initial HAART regimen because of poor adherence did not change according to the period of therapy initiation, despite the lower pill burden of the new regimens [14], possibly suggesting that there was little change in the attitude to antiretroviral therapy in our study population. In the present study, patients with a history of injecting drug use were at higher risk of discontinuation because of adherence-related issues, as reported in previous studies [16–18]. Telomerase Data [19,20] from the literature suggest that treatment discontinuation rates may be higher in very young and lower in very old age groups. The median age at enrolment of the study population was 36 years (IQR 32–41 years) and patients younger than 22 years and older than 54 years at enrolment represented only 10% of all the patients studied. Because of the small sample size, we could not compare robustly the rate of discontinuations between the very young (i.e. younger than 20 years) and the very old (i.e. older than 60 years). However, we included age as a categorical variable in the models, by grouping patients so that there were >10% in each group.

HCV/HIV-coinfected patients were more likely to discontinue the i

HCV/HIV-coinfected patients were more likely to discontinue the initial HAART regimen because of intolerance/toxicity, as were those on a boosted PI regimen. The incidence of change of initial HAART because of intolerance/toxicity in recent years might have been overestimated in our analysis because recently clinicians have become

more aware of toxicities and may interrupt drug treatment earlier in order to prevent toxicity rather than after symptoms have been observed. Both the increasing number of drugs available and improved knowledge of drug-specific side effects may be responsible for this. A similar attitude to early changes of first-line HAART might be responsible for the lack of a decreasing clear trend over time in discontinuation because of failure. Clinicians may have become more aware of the fact that even low viraemia after treatment failure can select for virus with several BGJ398 new drug resistance mutations

and exhaust future drug options. Furthermore, the recent availability of ultrasensitive viral load assays might favour earlier detection of active viral replication and thus virological failure. This speculation is supported by the evidence of a decreasing trend in median viral load at the time of switch because of virological failure over the calendar period of HAART initiation. It is possible that the adoption of simplification strategies, favoured by the high antiviral potency of new combinations, leading to an increased proportion of patients achieving undetectable viraemia in recent years, may have compensated for the decreased incidence

of discontinuation because selleck chemical of intolerance/toxicity, resulting, overall, in similar rates of discontinuation among those starting HAART in different calendar periods. The probability of modifying the initial HAART regimen because of poor adherence did not change according to the period of therapy initiation, despite the lower pill burden of the new regimens [14], possibly suggesting that there was little change in the attitude to antiretroviral therapy in our study population. In the present study, patients with a history of injecting drug use were at higher risk of discontinuation because of adherence-related issues, as reported in previous studies [16–18]. 6-phosphogluconolactonase Data [19,20] from the literature suggest that treatment discontinuation rates may be higher in very young and lower in very old age groups. The median age at enrolment of the study population was 36 years (IQR 32–41 years) and patients younger than 22 years and older than 54 years at enrolment represented only 10% of all the patients studied. Because of the small sample size, we could not compare robustly the rate of discontinuations between the very young (i.e. younger than 20 years) and the very old (i.e. older than 60 years). However, we included age as a categorical variable in the models, by grouping patients so that there were >10% in each group.

Because the same patient could contribute more than one CD4 cell

Because the same patient could contribute more than one CD4 cell count or VL measurement, a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used [20–22], employing the geepack package of the r suite [23]. The final multivariable model was constructed

by including the whole set of covariates listed in the ‘Study population’ subsection above and considered a priori for inclusion. The global impact of the inclusion of specific covariates in a model containing all but the variable under evaluation RO4929097 cell line was assessed using the log-likelihood test. To test whether the variation in the proportion of adverse prognoses by calendar year was different according to patients’ mode of HIV transmission or treatment status, we formally introduced interaction terms in the model. The multivariable analysis was performed on the whole study population and, in a separate analysis, only on the subset of patients previously on ART for ≥6 months. In order

to take into account for the potential variability in the proportion of late presenters enrolled in the various calendar years, a sensitivity analysis was performed after including only markers for patients who had entered the cohort at least 12 months before the calendar year in CB-839 nmr question. From the Icona study, 6372 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this analysis, contributing 34 695 observations. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] number of patients observed per year was 3447 (2938–3568). Overall, 29% of patients were female,

92% were Italian, 6% were from other parts of Europe or North American and 2% were from elsewhere. Patients living in the north of Italy represented 51% of the total, while 30% lived in central Italy and 19% in the south or the islands. The mean (standard deviation) age was 36.8 (8.6) years. Mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease Histograms of both the distribution of the prevalence of a low CD4 cell count and that of a raised VL were consistent with a Poisson distribution with some overdispersion (for CD4 cell count, mean=0.488, variance=1.27; for VL, mean=2.93, variance=6.18). The prevalence of patients with an undetectable VL before starting therapy was 1.12%. The median (IQR) number of patients seen per year was 3450 (2940–3570); the minimum was 1820, for year 2008. Participants have been followed up for a median (IQR) of 5 (2–8) years. Table 1 shows the distribution of patients by calendar year of follow-up and demographic characteristics. There was a significant decrease in the prevalence of IDU (from 45 to 24% from 1998 to 2008; a 2% decline per year) and a concomitant increase in the proportion of patients who acquired HIV infection via heterosexual (from 33 to 41%), homosexual (from 17 to 29%) or other/unknown routes (from 4 to 6%) (0.08, 0.1 and 0.02% increase/year, respectively; χ2 test for trend; P<0.0001).

The authors state that they have no conflicts of interest to decl

The authors state that they have no conflicts of interest to declare. “
“In 2010, malaria caused approximately 216 million infections in people and 655,000 deaths. In the United States, imported malaria cases occur every year, primarily in returning travelers and immigrants from endemic countries. In 2010, five Plasmodium falciparum malaria cases occurred among crew members of one US commercial airline company (Airline A). This investigation aimed to assess the malaria prevention knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Airline A crew members

to provide information for potential interventions. The web link to a self-administered on-line survey was distributed by internal CCI-779 purchase company communications to Airline A pilots and flight attendants (FA) eligible for international

travel. The survey collected demographic information as well as occupation, work history, and malaria prevention education. Of approximately Inhibitor Library 7,000 nonrandomly selected crew members, 220 FA and 217 pilots completed the survey (6%). Respondents correctly identified antimalarial medication (91% FA, 95% pilots) and insect repellents (96% FA, 96% pilots) as effective preventive measures. While in malaria-intense destinations, few FA and less than half of pilots always took antimalarial medication (4% FA, 40% pilots) yet many often spent greater than 30 minutes outdoors after sundown (71% FA, 66% pilots). Less than half in both groups always used insect repellents (46% FA, 47% pilots). Many respondents were unaware of how to get antimalarial medications (52% FA, 30% pilots) and were concerned about their side effects (61% FA, 31% pilots). Overall, FA and pilots demonstrated good knowledge of malaria prevention, but many performed risky activities while practicing only some recommended malaria preventive measures.

Malaria prevention education should focus on advance notification if traveling to a malaria-endemic area, how to easily obtain antimalarial medications, and the importance of practicing all recommended preventive measures. Malaria is Carteolol HCl a major public health problem worldwide, with approximately 216 million infected people and 655,000 deaths in 2010, mostly affecting developing countries.[1] In the United States, despite recommendations from health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a steady number of imported malaria cases occur each year, typically from returning travelers and immigrants from malaria-endemic areas. Many US commercial airlines travel regularly to malaria-endemic countries. Data on malaria cases among US airline crew members are scarce; however, previous studies in other countries suggest a low occupational risk for airline crew members traveling to malaria-endemic areas.[2, 3] Long layovers in areas endemic with Plasmodium spp. can increase the risk of malarial infection.

Therefore, we isolated and characterized LAB strains inhabiting v

Therefore, we isolated and characterized LAB strains inhabiting vegetative forage crops, taking particular interest in the development of novel selleckchem inoculants contributing to good fermentation quality of paddy rice silage. Finally, we investigated differences in the fermentation quality of paddy rice silage inoculated with different conspecific strains, as well as the possibility that the isolates could aid efficient fermentation of the silage. The source of isolation was described in our previous studies (Kobayashi et al., 2010; Tohno et al., 2012a). The isolation process is

described below. Grass silage (mixed pasture of timothy grass and orchardgrass), which was stored in a round bale for 300 days, was transferred into sterile homogenization bags, suspended 1 : 10 (w/v) in sterilized distilled water, and homogenized for 1 min in a Promedia SCH 900776 molecular weight SH-II M homogenizer (ELMEX, Tokyo, Japan). Serial dilutions were used for isolation of LAB using Lactobacilli de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agar (Difco, Detroit, MI) at 30 °C for 48 h under anaerobic conditions in a TE-HER Hard Anaerobox model ANX-1 (Hirosawa

Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). Isolation and purification were as follows: colonies on MRS agar medium were picked and streaked to single colonies twice on MRS agar. The pure cultures were grown on MRS agar at 30 °C for 24 h, picked and transferred to nutrient broth (Difco) with 10% glycerol, and stored as stock cultures at −80 °C. The four isolated strains used were designated TO1000, TO1001, TO1002, and TO1003. These strains were deposited in the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation Biological Resource Center (Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan). Molecular phylogeny analysis was conducted, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on about 1500 bases of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence as previously described (Tohno et al., 2012b). A recA multiplex PCR assay was performed to distinguish closely related species Thymidylate synthase and subspecies of the L. plantarum group according to our previous report (Tohno et al., 2012b). PCR amplification of known plantaricin genes was conducted as described

elsewhere (Omar et al., 2006). The primers used are listed in Supporting Information, Table S1. Paddy rice (Oryza sativa L. subsp. japonica) at the fully ripe stage was obtained from a local field at Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan, on October 25, 2010, by cutting using grass shears. In a small-scale fermentation system (Cai et al., 1997), approximately 100-g portions of the materials, chopped into about 20-mm lengths, were packed into 180 × 260 cm Hiryu KN-type plastic film bags (Asahikasei, Tokyo, Japan) with or without various bacterial inoculants (105 colony-forming units (CFU) g−1 fresh matter), and the bags were sealed with a BH 950 vacuum sealer (Panasonic, Osaka, Japan). Small-scale silage samples in a room at ambient temperature were collected at days 30 and 60 of the ensiling process.

Therefore, we isolated and characterized LAB strains inhabiting v

Therefore, we isolated and characterized LAB strains inhabiting vegetative forage crops, taking particular interest in the development of novel Panobinostat mw inoculants contributing to good fermentation quality of paddy rice silage. Finally, we investigated differences in the fermentation quality of paddy rice silage inoculated with different conspecific strains, as well as the possibility that the isolates could aid efficient fermentation of the silage. The source of isolation was described in our previous studies (Kobayashi et al., 2010; Tohno et al., 2012a). The isolation process is

described below. Grass silage (mixed pasture of timothy grass and orchardgrass), which was stored in a round bale for 300 days, was transferred into sterile homogenization bags, suspended 1 : 10 (w/v) in sterilized distilled water, and homogenized for 1 min in a Promedia MEK inhibitor SH-II M homogenizer (ELMEX, Tokyo, Japan). Serial dilutions were used for isolation of LAB using Lactobacilli de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agar (Difco, Detroit, MI) at 30 °C for 48 h under anaerobic conditions in a TE-HER Hard Anaerobox model ANX-1 (Hirosawa

Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). Isolation and purification were as follows: colonies on MRS agar medium were picked and streaked to single colonies twice on MRS agar. The pure cultures were grown on MRS agar at 30 °C for 24 h, picked and transferred to nutrient broth (Difco) with 10% glycerol, and stored as stock cultures at −80 °C. The four isolated strains used were designated TO1000, TO1001, TO1002, and TO1003. These strains were deposited in the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation Biological Resource Center (Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan). Molecular phylogeny analysis was conducted, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on about 1500 bases of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence as previously described (Tohno et al., 2012b). A recA multiplex PCR assay was performed to distinguish closely related species Branched chain aminotransferase and subspecies of the L. plantarum group according to our previous report (Tohno et al., 2012b). PCR amplification of known plantaricin genes was conducted as described

elsewhere (Omar et al., 2006). The primers used are listed in Supporting Information, Table S1. Paddy rice (Oryza sativa L. subsp. japonica) at the fully ripe stage was obtained from a local field at Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan, on October 25, 2010, by cutting using grass shears. In a small-scale fermentation system (Cai et al., 1997), approximately 100-g portions of the materials, chopped into about 20-mm lengths, were packed into 180 × 260 cm Hiryu KN-type plastic film bags (Asahikasei, Tokyo, Japan) with or without various bacterial inoculants (105 colony-forming units (CFU) g−1 fresh matter), and the bags were sealed with a BH 950 vacuum sealer (Panasonic, Osaka, Japan). Small-scale silage samples in a room at ambient temperature were collected at days 30 and 60 of the ensiling process.