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1.
Case Rep Infect Dis ; 2024: 7956014, 2024.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38939108

RESUMO

Coadministering two different classes of antibiotics as empirical therapy can be critical in treating healthcare-associated infections in hospitals. Herein, we report a case of acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by coadministration of vancomycin with high-dose meropenem that manifested as a rapid increase in serum creatinine levels and an associated increase in vancomycin trough concentrations. The patient was diagnosed with meningioma at 50 years and was followed up regularly. The patient underwent surgery and antibiotic treatment between 63 and 66 years for suspected meningitis and pneumonia. Coadministration of vancomycin with high-dose meropenem (6.0 g/day) caused AKI; however, no AKI occurred when vancomycin was administered alone or with a low dose of meropenem (1.5 or 3.0 g/day). To our knowledge, this report is the first to show that administering different dosages of meropenem in combination with vancomycin may contribute to the risk of developing AKI. We suggest that coadministered vancomycin and high-dose meropenem (6.0 g/day) may increase the risk of AKI. Our report adds to the limited literature documenting the coadministration of vancomycin with varying doses of meropenem and its impact on the risk of AKI and highlights the importance of investigating AKI risk in response to varying dosages of meropenem when it is coadministered with vancomycin.

2.
J Phys Ther Sci ; 36(6): 343-351, 2024 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38832216

RESUMO

[Purpose] Quadriceps muscle strength is essential for daily living activities. Therefore, we developed a compact and simple lower limb muscle strength measuring device (LocomoScan [LCS]). This study aimed to compare LCS with other instruments to analyze its simplicity, reproducibility, and accuracy. [Participants and Methods] One hundred and four healthy university students (56 males and 48 females) were included in the study. The knee extension force was measured using LCS, and the knee extension torque was measured using other devices (Cybex). In addition, lower leg muscle mass was measured using a body composition meter. The reproducibility of LCS and the correlation between the knee extension torque and lower leg muscle mass were evaluated. [Results] The measurement reproducibility of LCS was significantly higher. The knee extension force confirmed the proportional relative reliability of Cybex with knee extension torque. A relationship between knee extension force and lower limb muscle mass was also observed, indicating that muscle mass cannot be estimated as muscle strength. [Conclusion] The high reproducibility of the knee extension force measurement using LCS demonstrates its potential as a portable alternative instrument for muscle strength measurement in clinical practice. Therefore, LCS device is a simple and effective tool for assessing muscle strength.

3.
Mol Pharm ; 2024 Jun 11.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38862418

RESUMO

α1-Acid glycoprotein (AGP) is a primary binding protein for many basic drugs in plasma. The number of drugs that bind to AGP, such as molecular target anticancer drugs, has been continuously increasing. Since the plasma level of AGP fluctuates under various pathological conditions such as inflammation, it is important to evaluate the contribution of AGP to drug pharmacokinetics. Here, we generated conventional AGP-knockout (AGP-KO) mice and used them to evaluate the contribution of AGP. The pharmacokinetics of drugs that bind to two AGP variants (F1*S or A variants) or albumin were evaluated. Imatinib (a F1*S-binding drug) and disopyramide (an A-binding drug) or ibuprofen (an albumin-binding drug) were administered to wild-type (WT) and AGP-KO. The plasma level of imatinib and disopyramide decreased rapidly in AGP-KO as compared to WT. In AGP-KO, AUC and t1/2 were decreased, then CLtot was increased. Compared with disopyramide, imatinib pharmacokinetics showed more marked changes in AGP-KO as compared to WT. The results seemed to be due to the difference in plasma level of each AGP variant (F1*S:A = 2-3:1). No differences were observed in ibuprofen pharmacokinetics between the WT and AGP-KO mice. In vitro experiments using plasma from WT and AGP-KO showed that unbound fractions of imatinib and disopyramide were higher in AGP-KO. These results suggest that the rapid elimination of imatinib and disopyramide in AGP-KO could be due to decreased protein binding to AGP. Taken together, the AGP-KO mouse could be a potential animal model for evaluating the contribution of AGP to the pharmacokinetics of various drugs.

4.
Neural Dev ; 19(1): 10, 2024 Jun 21.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38907299

RESUMO

Nervous systems of bilaterian animals generally consist of two cell types: neurons and glial cells. Despite accumulating data about the many important functions glial cells serve in bilaterian nervous systems, the evolutionary origin of this abundant cell type remains unclear. Current hypotheses regarding glial evolution are mostly based on data from model bilaterians. Non-bilaterian animals have been largely overlooked in glial studies and have been subjected only to morphological analysis. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of conservation of the bilateral gliogenic genetic repertoire of non-bilaterian phyla (Cnidaria, Placozoa, Ctenophora, and Porifera). We overview molecular and functional features of bilaterian glial cell types and discuss their possible evolutionary history. We then examine which glial features are present in non-bilaterians. Of these, cnidarians show the highest degree of gliogenic program conservation and may therefore be crucial to answer questions about glial evolution.


Assuntos
Evolução Biológica , Neuroglia , Animais , Neuroglia/fisiologia , Neuroglia/citologia , Cnidários/genética , Cnidários/citologia , Ctenóforos/genética , Ctenóforos/citologia , Placozoa/genética , Placozoa/citologia
5.
Bioconjug Chem ; 35(6): 816-825, 2024 Jun 19.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38781049

RESUMO

Human serum albumin (HSA) as a drug carrier can significantly improve the pharmacokinetic profiles of short-lived therapeutics. Conjugation of albumin-binding moieties (ABMs) to therapeutic agents may prolong their serum half-life by promoting their association with endogenous HSA. To discover a new molecular class of ABMs from mirror-image chemical space, a preparation protocol for bioactive HSA domain III and its d-enantiomer (d-HSA domain III) was established. Structural and functional analyses suggested that the synthetic protein enantiomers exhibited mirror-image structures and stereoselective neonatal fragement crystallizable receptor (FcRn) recognition. Additionally, the ligand-binding properties of synthetic l-HSA domain III were comparable with those of site II in native HSA, as confirmed using site II-selective fluorescent probes and an esterase substrate. Synthetic d-HSA domain III is an attractive tool for analyzing the site II-dependent molecular recognition properties of HSA.


Assuntos
Albumina Sérica Humana , Humanos , Albumina Sérica Humana/química , Albumina Sérica Humana/metabolismo , Sítios de Ligação , Domínios Proteicos , Estereoisomerismo , Ligação Proteica , Modelos Moleculares , Corantes Fluorescentes/química
6.
Dentomaxillofac Radiol ; 53(5): 281-288, 2024 Jun 28.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38565278

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to establish a method for differentiating radicular cysts from granulomas via texture analysis (TA) of multi-slice computed tomography (CT) images. METHODS: A total of 222 lesions with multi-slice computed tomography images acquired at our hospital between 2013 and 2022 that were pathologically diagnosed were included in this study. Cases of contrast-enhanced images, severe metallic artefacts, and lesions that were not sufficiently large to be analysed were excluded. The images were chronologically divided into a training group and a validation group. The radiological characteristics were determined. Subsequently, a TA was performed. Pyradiomics software was used for the TA of three-dimensionally segmented volumes extracted from 2 mm slice thickness images with a soft-tissue algorithm. Features that differed significantly between the two lesions in the training group were extracted and used to create machine-learning models. The discriminative ability of these models was evaluated in the validation group using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 131 lesions, comprising 28 radicular cysts and 103 granulomas, were analysed. Forty-three texture features that exhibited significant variations were extracted. A support vector machine and decision tree model, with areas under the curves of 0.829 and 0.803, respectively, were created. These models showed high discriminative abilities, even for the validation group, with areas under the curve of 0.727 and 0.701, respectively. Both models showed superior performance compared with that of the models based on radiographic findings. CONCLUSION: Discriminatory models were established for the TA of radicular cysts and granulomas using CT images.


Assuntos
Tomografia Computadorizada Multidetectores , Cisto Radicular , Humanos , Cisto Radicular/diagnóstico por imagem , Cisto Radicular/patologia , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Tomografia Computadorizada Multidetectores/métodos , Feminino , Masculino , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Idoso , Interpretação de Imagem Radiográfica Assistida por Computador/métodos , Adolescente , Algoritmos , Granuloma Periapical/diagnóstico por imagem , Granuloma Periapical/patologia , Aprendizado de Máquina , Árvores de Decisões , Máquina de Vetores de Suporte
7.
Biol Pharm Bull ; 47(4): 868-871, 2024.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38644197

RESUMO

Restoration of blood flow in skeletal muscle after a prolonged period of ischemia induces muscular ischemia-reperfusion injury, leading to local injury/dysfunction in muscles followed by systemic inflammatory responses. However, preventive/curative agents for skeletal muscle ischemia injury are unavailable in clinics to date. Increasing evidence has validated that carbon monoxide (CO) prevents the progression of ischemia-reperfusion injury in various organs owing to its versatile bioactivity. Previously, we developed a bioinspired CO donor, CO-bound red blood cells (CO-RBC), which mimics the dynamics of RBC-associated CO in the body. In the present study, we have tested the therapeutic potential of CO-RBC in muscular injury/dysfunction and secondary systemic inflammation induced by skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion. The results indicate that CO-RBC rather than RBC alone suppressed elevation of plasma creatine phosphokinase, a marker of muscular injury, in rats subjected to both hind limbs ischemia-reperfusion. In addition, the results of the treadmill walking test revealed a significantly decreased muscular motor function in RBC-treated rats subjected to both hind limbs ischemia-reperfusion than that in healthy rats, however, CO-RBC treatment facilitated sustained muscular motor functions after hind limbs ischemia-reperfusion. Furthermore, CO-RBC rather than RBC suppressed the production of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6, which were upregulated by muscular ischemia-reperfusion. Interestingly, CO-RBC treatment induced higher levels of IL-10 compared to saline or RBC treatments. Based on these findings, we suggest that CO-RBC exhibits a suppressive effect against skeletal muscle injury/dysfunction and systemic inflammatory responses after skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion.


Assuntos
Monóxido de Carbono , Inflamação , Músculo Esquelético , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Traumatismo por Reperfusão , Animais , Traumatismo por Reperfusão/tratamento farmacológico , Músculo Esquelético/efeitos dos fármacos , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismo , Masculino , Inflamação/tratamento farmacológico , Eritrócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Eritrócitos/metabolismo , Ratos , Creatina Quinase/sangue , Membro Posterior/irrigação sanguínea , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/sangue , Interleucina-6/metabolismo , Interleucina-6/sangue
8.
Free Radic Biol Med ; 220: 67-77, 2024 Aug 01.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38657755

RESUMO

Sarcopenia is characterized by loss of muscle strength and muscle mass with aging. The growing number of sarcopenia patients as a result of the aging population has no viable treatment. Exercise maintains muscle strength and mass by increasing peroxisome growth factor activating receptor γ-conjugating factor-1α (PGC-1α) and Akt signaling in skeletal muscle. The present study focused on the carbon monoxide (CO), endogenous activator of PGC-1α and Akt, and investigated the therapeutic potential of CO-loaded red blood cells (CO-RBCs), which is bioinspired from in vivo CO delivery system, as an exercise mimetic for the treatment of sarcopenia. Treatment of C2C12 myoblasts with the CO-donor increased the protein levels of PGC-1α which enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and energy production. The CO-donor treatment also activated Akt, indicating that CO promotes muscle synthesis. CO levels were significantly elevated in the skeletal muscle of normal mice after intravenous administration of CO-RBCs. Furthermore, CO-RBCs restored the mRNA expression levels of PGC-1α in the skeletal muscle of two experimental sarcopenia mouse models, denervated (Den) and hindlimb unloading (HU) models. CO-RBCs also restored muscle mass in Den mice by activating Akt signaling and suppressing the muscle atrophy factors myostatin and atrogin-1, and oxidative stress. Treadmill tests further showed that the reduced running distance in HU mice was significantly restored by CO-RBC administration. These findings suggest that CO-RBCs have potential as an exercise mimetic for sarcopenia treatment.


Assuntos
Monóxido de Carbono , Músculo Esquelético , Coativador 1-alfa do Receptor gama Ativado por Proliferador de Peroxissomo , Sarcopenia , Sarcopenia/tratamento farmacológico , Sarcopenia/metabolismo , Sarcopenia/terapia , Sarcopenia/patologia , Animais , Camundongos , Monóxido de Carbono/metabolismo , Monóxido de Carbono/farmacologia , Coativador 1-alfa do Receptor gama Ativado por Proliferador de Peroxissomo/metabolismo , Coativador 1-alfa do Receptor gama Ativado por Proliferador de Peroxissomo/genética , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismo , Músculo Esquelético/efeitos dos fármacos , Músculo Esquelético/patologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , Humanos , Terapia Baseada em Transplante de Células e Tecidos/métodos , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Masculino , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Mioblastos/metabolismo , Mioblastos/efeitos dos fármacos , Condicionamento Físico Animal , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Linhagem Celular , Proteínas Musculares/metabolismo , Proteínas Musculares/genética
9.
Br J Cancer ; 130(11): 1783-1794, 2024 May.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38519705

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been found to predict PD-L1 inhibitor efficacy in metastatic NSCLC. However, the relation of irAEs to clinical outcome for nonmetastatic NSCLC has remained unknown. METHODS: In this multicenter prospective study of Stage III NSCLC treated with PACIFIC regimen, the relation of irAEs to PFS was evaluated by 8-week landmark analysis to minimise lead-time bias as well as by multivariable analysis adjusted for baseline factors. irAEs were categorised as mild or nonmild according to whether they were treated with systemic steroid. RESULTS: Median PFS was 16.0 months, not reached, and 9.7 months for patients without (85 cases) or with mild (21 cases) or nonmild (21 cases) irAEs, respectively. Multivariable analysis indicated that nonmild irAEs were associated with poor PFS, with HRs of 3.86 (95% CI, 1.31-11.38) compared with no irAEs and 11.58 (95% CI, 2.11-63.63) compared with mild irAEs. This pattern was consistent after irAE grade, the number of durvalumab doses and immune profiles (PD-L1 score, CD8+ tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density, and tumour mutation burden) were taken into consideration. CONCLUSIONS: The development of mild irAEs might predict a better survival outcome, whereas immunosuppressive steroid-treated irAEs were associated with a worse outcome, regardless of baseline clinical and immune profiles.


Assuntos
Anticorpos Monoclonais , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas , Quimiorradioterapia , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Humanos , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/patologia , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/imunologia , Feminino , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patologia , Masculino , Idoso , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Anticorpos Monoclonais/efeitos adversos , Anticorpos Monoclonais/uso terapêutico , Anticorpos Monoclonais/administração & dosagem , Estudos Prospectivos , Quimiorradioterapia/efeitos adversos , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Adulto , Antineoplásicos Imunológicos/efeitos adversos , Antineoplásicos Imunológicos/uso terapêutico , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Intervalo Livre de Progressão
10.
Respirol Case Rep ; 12(3): e01324, 2024 Mar.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38481422

RESUMO

A 76-year-old man underwent an operation for lung squamous cell carcinoma in the right lower lobe, followed by initial adjuvant therapy with atezolizumab, an antibody against anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). On day 4 after atezolizumab treatment, the patient developed general malaise and fatigue. He was diagnosed with atezolizumab-induced sclerosing cholangitis. Steroid treatment was started, and patient's condition, including symptoms, laboratory data and imaging findings, improved. Antibiotic treatments were ended on day 40, and the steroid dose was gradually reduced. Multiple liver abscesses were observed on day 106, and another treatment with antibiotics became necessary. The patient eventually recovered from liver abscesses. Sclerosing cholangitis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitor is rare, and the long-term clinical data about this adverse effect is limited. Hence, we think it is important to raise an alarm over sclerosing cholangitis coupled with liver abscesses after immunosuppressive therapy.

11.
Nat Mater ; 23(5): 664-669, 2024 May.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38413811

RESUMO

Solvation dynamics critically affect charge transport. Spectroscopic experiments and computer simulations show that these dynamics in aqueous systems occur on a picosecond timescale. In the case of organic electrolytes, however, conflicting values ranging from 1 to several 100 picoseconds have been reported. We resolve this conflict by studying mixtures of an organic polymer and a lithium salt. Lithium ions coordinate with multiple polymer chains, resulting in temporary crosslinks. Relaxation of these crosslinks, detected by quasielastic neutron scattering, are directly related to solvation dynamics. Simulations reveal a broad spectrum of relaxation times. The average timescale for solvation dynamics in both experiment and simulation is one nanosecond. We present the direct measurement of ultraslow dynamics of solvation shell break-up in an electrolyte.

12.
Heliyon ; 10(3): e25485, 2024 Feb 15.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38352801

RESUMO

The pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) involves the simultaneous interaction of multiple factors such as lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response. Here, the effect of human serum albumin (HSA) fused to thioredoxin (Trx) on NASH was investigated. Trx is known to have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects. However, Trx is a low molecular weight protein and is rapidly eliminated from the blood. To overcome the low availability of Trx, HSA-Trx fusion protein was produced and evaluated the therapeutic effect on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NASH model mice. HSA-Trx administered before the formation of NASH pathology showed it to have a preventive effect. Specifically, HSA-Trx was found to prevent the pathological progression to NASH by suppressing lipid accumulation, liver injury markers, and liver fibrosis. When HSA-Trx was administered during the early stage of NASH there was a marked reduction in lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver, indicating that HSA-Trx ameliorates NASH pathology. The findings indicate that HSA-Trx influences multiple pathological factors, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, to elicit a therapeutic benefit. HSA-Trx also inhibited palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells. Taken together, these results indicate that HSA-Trx has potential as a therapeutic agent for NASH pathology.

13.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel) ; 17(2)2024 Feb 19.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38399475

RESUMO

Although a lot of effort has been put into creating drugs and combination therapies against chronic hepatitis, no effective treatment has been established. Type-I interferon is a promising therapeutic for chronic hepatitis due to its excellent anti-inflammatory effects through interferon receptors on hepatic macrophages. To develop a type-I IFN equipped with the ability to target hepatic macrophages through the macrophage mannose receptor, the present study designed a mouse type-I interferon-mannosylated albumin fusion protein using site-specific mutagenesis and albumin fusion technology. This fusion protein exhibited the induction of anti-inflammatory molecules, such as IL-10, IL-1Ra, and PD-1, in RAW264.7 cells, or hepatoprotective effects on carbon tetrachloride-induced chronic hepatitis mice. As expected, such biological and hepatoprotective actions were significantly superior to those of human fusion proteins. Furthermore, the repeated administration of mouse fusion protein to carbon tetrachloride-induced chronic hepatitis mice clearly suppressed the area of liver fibrosis and hepatic hydroxyproline contents, not only with a reduction in the levels of inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α) and fibrosis-related genes (TGF-ß, Fibronectin, Snail, and Collagen 1α2), but also with a shift in the hepatic macrophage phenotype from inflammatory to anti-inflammatory. Therefore, type-I interferon-mannosylated albumin fusion protein has the potential as a new therapeutic agent for chronic hepatitis.

14.
Appl Ergon ; 117: 104238, 2024 May.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38316071

RESUMO

The purpose of this paper is to establish an easy-to-use questionnaire for subjective evaluations of visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) and visual fatigue caused by stereoscopic 3D (s3D) images. We reviewed previously used questionnaires and extracted 51 important subjective evaluation items from them. We then recruited 251 participants to observe 3D images designed to easily induce sickness or visual fatigue, and we asked them to respond to the 51 items. As a result of exploratory factor analysis, four factors were extracted according to their factor loadings, and the number of items was reduced to 21. Further processing by confirmatory factor analysis led to the selection of 15 items. Comparing mean ratings for each factor before and after item reduction indicated that item reduction did not significantly affect the participant responses. Therefore, the 15-item Visually Induced Symptoms Questionnaire (VISQ), can be used to evaluate VIMS and s3D visual fatigue.


Assuntos
Astenopia , Enjoo devido ao Movimento , Humanos , Astenopia/etiologia , Imageamento Tridimensional , Enjoo devido ao Movimento/etiologia , Inquéritos e Questionários
15.
J Atheroscler Thromb ; 2024 Feb 20.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38382967

RESUMO

AIMS: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) causes irreversible damage to cardiomyocytes due to the discontinuation of oxygen supply and leads to systemic oxidative stress. It has been reported that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles have antioxidant capacity, and reduced antioxidant capacity is associated with decreased cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC). The purpose of this study was to clarify the usefulness of CEC measurement in patients with AMI. METHODS: We investigated the association between CEC and oxidative stress status in a case-control study. This study included 193 AMI cases and 445 age- and sex-matched controls. We examined the associations of CEC with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and oxidized human serum albumin (HSA), an index of systemic oxidative stress status, and the effect of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 polymorphism, which has been reported to affect HDL-C level and risk for MI, on these associations. RESULTS: Both bivariable and multivariable analyses showed that CEC was positively correlated with HDL-C levels in both AMI cases and controls, with a weaker correlation in AMI cases than in controls. In AMI cases, oxidized HSA levels were associated with CEC in both bivariable and multivariable analyses, but not with HDL-C. These associations did not differ among the ALDH2 genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: CEC, but not HDL-C level, reflects systemic oxidative stress status in patients with AMI. CEC measurement for patients with AMI may be useful in that it provides information on systemic oxidative stress status as well as atherosclerosis risk.

16.
Kurume Med J ; 69(3.4): 185-193, 2024 May 14.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38233176

RESUMO

The identification of Aspergillus species has been performed mainly by morphological classification. In recent years, however, the revelation of the existence of cryptic species has required genetic analysis for accurate identification. The purpose of this study was to investigate five Aspergillus section Nigri strains isolated from a patient and the environment in a university hospital. Species identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry identified all five black Aspergillus strains as Aspergillus niger. However, calmodulin gene sequence analysis revealed that all five strains were cryptic species, four of which, including the clinical strain, were Aspergillus tubingensis. Hospital-acquired infection of the patient with the A. tubingensis strain introduced from the environment was suspected, but sequencing of six genes from four A. tubingensis strains revealed no environmental strain that completely matched the patient strain. The amount of in vitro biofilm formation of the four examples of the A. tubingensis strain was comparable to that of Aspergillus fumigatus. An extracellular matrix was observed by electron microscopy of the biofilm of the clinical strain. This study suggests that various types of biofilm-forming A. tubingensis exist in the hospital environment and that appropriate environmental management is required.


Assuntos
Aspergilose , Aspergillus , Biofilmes , Infecção Hospitalar , Humanos , Infecção Hospitalar/microbiologia , Aspergillus/genética , Aspergillus/isolamento & purificação , Aspergilose/microbiologia , Aspergilose/diagnóstico , Espectrometria de Massas por Ionização e Dessorção a Laser Assistida por Matriz , Calmodulina/genética , Masculino , Hospitais Universitários , Microbiologia Ambiental
17.
Zoological Lett ; 10(1): 3, 2024 Jan 30.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38291530

RESUMO

Ctenophora is the earliest metazoan taxon with neurons and muscles. Recent studies have described genetic, physiological, and cellular characteristics of the neural and muscular systems of this phylogenically important lineage. However, despite the ecological diversity of ctenophore niches, including both pelagic and benthic forms, studies have focused predominantly on pelagic species. In the present study, we describe the neural and muscular architectures of the benthic ctenophore, Vallicula multiformis (Order Platyctenida), employing immunohistochemical analysis using antibodies against amidated neuropeptides with the C-terminal sequences VWYa, NPWa, FGLa, or WTGa to compare it to pelagic species. In V. multiformis, which lacks the characteristic comb rows seen in pelagic ctenophores, neural structures that develop beneath the comb were not detected, whereas the subepithelial and tentacle neural networks showed considerable similarity to those of pelagic species. Despite significant differences in morphology and lifestyle, muscle organization in V. multiformis closely resembles that of pelagic species. Detailed analysis of neurons that express these peptides unveiled a neural architecture composed of various neural subtypes. This included widely distributed subepithelial neural networks (SNNs) and neurosecretory cells located primarily in the peripheral region. The consistent distribution patterns of the VWYa-positive SNN and tentacle nerves between V. multiformis and the pelagic species, Bolinopsis mikado, suggest evolutionarily conserved function of these neurons in the Ctenophora. In contrast, NPWa-positive neurons, which extend neurites connecting the apical organ and comb rows in B. mikado, showed a neurite-less neurosecretory cell morphology in this flattened, sessile species. Evaluation of characteristics and variations in neural and muscular architectures shared by benthic and pelagic ctenophore species may yield valuable insights for unraveling the biology of this rapidly evolving yet enigmatic metazoan lineage. These findings also provide important insight into neural control modalities in early metazoan evolution.

18.
J Infect Chemother ; 30(2): 123-128, 2024 Feb.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37758000

RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: In daycare centers, infants come in close contact with each other, and contact, droplet, and mouth-to-mouth infections may occur owing to sharing of toys. Additional effective disinfection methods should be considered aside from wiping with disinfectants-including alcohol or sodium hypochlorite solution-for environmental disinfection of daycare centers. We aimed to examine the usefulness of hypochlorous acid water atomization in the effective disinfection of the classroom environment and toys at a nursery school. METHODS: Environmental cultures of the nursery and toys were prepared to evaluate the species and bacterial load and to assess the contaminated areas. Staphylococcus aureus petri dishes were placed at high-frequency contact sites, and hypochlorous acid water was atomized to achieve a 0.03-ppm atmospheric chlorine concentration. After the atomization, the amount of S. aureus bacteria on the Petri dish and the changes in bacterial count isolated from the environment and toys were evaluated. RESULTS: Hypochlorous acid water atomization was performed for 5 h to avoid condensation. After a 3-h atomization, ≥99.99% of S. aureus was eliminated on petri dishes; furthermore, a significant disinfection effect was observed on environmental bacteria at least 1 h after atomization. For rubber and textile toys, the significant disinfection effect was observed 1 h after atomization, and for plastic toys, the effect was observed 3 h after atomization. CONCLUSIONS: Hypochlorous acid water atomization is a useful strategy to disinfect nursery school classrooms.


Assuntos
Desinfetantes , Ácido Hipocloroso , Lactente , Humanos , Ácido Hipocloroso/farmacologia , Escolas Maternais , Staphylococcus aureus , Água , Desinfetantes/farmacologia , Bactérias , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Etanol/farmacologia
19.
PLoS Genet ; 19(12): e1010625, 2023 Dec.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38060463

RESUMO

The Japanese archipelago is a terminal location for human migration, and the contemporary Japanese people represent a unique population whose genomic diversity has been shaped by multiple migrations from Eurasia. We analyzed the genomic characteristics that define the genetic makeup of the modern Japanese population from a population genetics perspective from the genomic data of 9,287 samples obtained by high-coverage whole-genome sequencing (WGS) by the National Center Biobank Network. The dataset comprised populations from the Ryukyu Islands and other parts of the Japanese archipelago (Hondo). The Hondo population underwent two episodes of population decline during the Jomon period, corresponding to the Late Neolithic, and the Edo period, corresponding to the Early Modern era, while the Ryukyu population experienced a population decline during the shell midden period of the Late Neolithic in this region. Haplotype analysis suggested increased allele frequencies for genes related to alcohol and fatty acid metabolism, which were reported as loci that had experienced positive natural selection. Two genes related to alcohol metabolism were found to be 12,500 years out of phase with the time when they began to increase in the allele frequency; this finding indicates that the genomic diversity of Japanese people has been shaped by events closely related to agriculture and food production.


Assuntos
População do Leste Asiático , Genética Populacional , Humanos , Variação Genética , Japão , Sequenciamento Completo do Genoma , População do Leste Asiático/genética
20.
J Chem Phys ; 159(23)2023 Dec 21.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38117019

RESUMO

It is important to understand the dynamics of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood flow. This requires the formulation of coarse-grained RBC models that reproduce the hydrodynamic properties of blood accurately. One of the models that successfully reproduces the rheology and morphology of blood has been proposed by Fedosov et al. [Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 199, 1937-1948 (2010)]. The proposed RBC model contains several parameters whose values are determined by either various experiments or physical requirements. In this study, we developed a new method of determining parameter values precisely from the fluctuations of the RBC membrane. Specifically, we studied the relationship between the spectra of the fluctuations and model parameters. Characteristic peaks were observed in the spectra, whose peak frequencies were dependent on the parameter values. In addition, we investigated the spectra of the radius of gyration. We identified the peaks originating from the spring potential and the volume-conserving potential appearing in the spectra. These results lead to the precise experimental determination of the parameters used in the RBC model.


Assuntos
Eritrócitos , Eritrócitos/metabolismo , Reologia/métodos , Análise Espectral
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