Exploring the effects of antimicrobial treatment on the gut and oral microbiomes and resistomes from elderly long-term care facility residents via shotgun DNA sequencing.

Monitoring antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and understanding the effects of antimicrobial drugs on the human microbiome and resistome are crucial for public health. However, no study has investigated the association between antimicrobial treatment and the microbiome-resistome relationship in long-term care facilities, where residents act as reservoirs of ARB but are not included in the national surveillance for ARB. We conducted shotgun metagenome sequencing of oral and stool samples from long-term care facility residents and explored the effects of antimicrobial treatment on the human microbiome and resistome using two types of comparisons: cross-sectional comparisons based on antimicrobial treatment history in the past 6 months and within-subject comparisons between stool samples before, during and 2-4 weeks after treatment using a single antimicrobial drug. Cross-sectional analysis revealed two characteristics in the group with a history of antimicrobial treatment: the archaeon Methanobrevibacter was the only taxon that significantly increased in abundance, and the total abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) was also significantly higher. Within-subject comparisons showed that taxonomic diversity did not decrease during treatment, suggesting that the effect of the prescription of a single antimicrobial drug in usual clinical treatment on the gut microbiota is likely to be smaller than previously thought, even among very elderly people. Additional analysis of the detection limit of ARGs revealed that they could not be detected when contig coverage was <2.0. This study is the first to report the effects of usual antimicrobial treatments on the microbiome and resistome of long-term care facility residents.

Prevalence and prognostic influence of bacterial pyuria in elderly patients with pneumonia: A retrospective study.

AIM: The number of elderly patients with pneumonia is significantly increasing as the populations in many countries age. Although elderly patients with pneumonia are at risk of developing urinary tract infections, no studies have examined the prevalence or the prognostic impact of this complication. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of comorbid bacterial pyuria and the impact on the prognosis of elderly patients with pneumonia. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 132 patients aged >65 years who were hospitalized for pneumonia and who underwent a urinary sediment test on admission. The background characteristics, laboratory results and treatment regimens were documented, and the risk factors for the complication of bacterial pyuria and its association with 90-day mortality in pneumonia patients were elucidated. RESULTS: A total of 37 (28%) of 132 patients were complicated by bacterial pyuria. The patients with bacterial pyuria were more often women, showed a poorer performance status, were more frequently fed by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, and more frequently used diapers and/or a bladder catheter. Regarding first-line drugs, 82.6% of the patients received beta-lactamase inhibitors and extended-spectrum penicillins. The use of a bladder catheter and a poor performance status were associated with bacterial pyuria. A multivariate analysis showed that a poor performance status was the only factor associated with 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial pyuria did not affect the prognosis of patients who were treated with penicillin-based regimens. Thus, broad-spectrum antibiotics are not necessarily required for elderly patients with pneumonia complicated by urinary tract infection. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1076-1080.

Computed tomography findings of aspiration pneumonia in 53 patients.

AIM: No large case series has so far shown the chest computed tomography (CT) features in patients with aspiration pneumonia, despite the fact that aspiration pneumonia is the most common pulmonary disease in the elderly and is regarded as gravity-dependent pneumonia. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the CT features based on the patients' status in patients with dysphagia-associated aspiration pneumonia. METHODS: A total of 53 patients, who were hospitalized because of pneumonia and subsequently confirmed to have dysphagia by videofluorography, were entered into this study. The CT findings were independently evaluated by two radiologists who were unaware of the patients' clinical information. The relationships between the patients' status and the CT patterns of pneumonia or their distributions were analyzed. RESULTS: There were eight patients (15%) with lobar pneumonia, 36 patients (68%) with bronchopneumonia and nine patients (17%) with bronchiolitis. Posterior lung predominance was seen in 49 patients (92%). In the craniocaudal observation, lower lung predominance was found in 25 patients (47%) and diffuse distribution was seen in 28 patients (53%). A decreased performance status was significantly associated with a diffuse distribution (P=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Aspiration pneumonia more frequently presented as a bronchopneumonia pattern followed by a bronchiolitis pattern on CT. Their distributions were characterized by gravity dependence, and anterior- or upper lung-limited pneumonia might not be due to dysphagia-associated pneumonia.

Relationship between regional cerebral blood flow and electrocorticographic activities under sevoflurane and isoflurane anesthesia.

The aims of this study are (1) to assess the effects of volatile anesthetics on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and electrocorticography (ECoG), and (2) to investigate the relationship between rCBF and ECoG influenced by volatile anesthetics. The authors measured rCBF using laser Doppler flowmetry and ECoG simultaneously and continuously from the same cortex during craniotomy, using the specially arranged probe. Patients received intravenous anesthetics with nitrous oxide until craniotomy, and after opening of dura, volatile anesthetic, either isoflurane or sevoflurane, was started and was gradually increased for the measurement. Four of the nine cases (44.4%) of the sevoflurane group showed no change both in rCBF and ECoG. In three cases (33.3%), rCBF increased as the frequency of the paroxysmal activities increased. In two cases (22.2%), decreased rCBF was accompanied by slow waves. In 12 cases of the isoflurane group, no apparent rCBF and ECoG changes were seen, except a case with decreased rCBF and slow waves. This is the first report of simultaneous recordings of regional CBF and neuronal activity under general anesthesia. During sevoflurane and isoflurane anesthesia <2.5 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration, rCBF is affected by ECoG activities rather than pharmacologic action of inhalational anesthetics.

Thalamic hypometabolism on 18FDG-positron emission tomography in medial temporal lobe epilepsy.

OBJECTIVES: Degree of hypometabolism in the thalamus on (18)Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was compared with those of medial and lateral temporal lobes in patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), and its relationship with post-operative seizure outcomes was investigated. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with mTLE who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy were included. Post-operatively, 13 patients became completely seizure-free and 13 showed residual seizure, regardless of frequency (five patients became almost seizure-free, six had rare seizures and two showed significant improvements). Degrees of hypometabolism in bilateral thalamus, ipsilateral medial and lateral temporal lobes were evaluated visually and semi-quantitatively by determining the asymmetry index (AI), a value indicating 100 x (ipsilateral - contralateral)/[1/2 x (ipsilateral + contralateral)] and the region-to-cerebral hemisphere ratio (R/C ratio) being the ratio between averaged counts in each area and those in the cerebral hemisphere of the same side. RESULTS: Hypometabolism in the medial temporal lobe was visually observed in all patients. Hypometabolism in the lateral temporal lobe was observed in 20 patients and was semi-quantitatively more prominent than that of the medial temporal lobe. Pathologically, hippocampal sclerosis and prominent astrogliosis of the lateral temporal lobe were present in all cases. However, while thalamic hypometabolism was visually observed in nine patients (in the ipsilateral side of four cases, contralateral side of three and on both sides of two), no significant thalamic hypometabolism was semi-quantitatively observed. No significant differences in metabolic rate in any area except for the lateral temporal lobe between seizure-free patients and residual seizure patients were seen semi-quantitatively. DISCUSSION: Data indicated that metabolism in the lateral temporal lobe of patients with mTLE significantly decreased and revealed pathologic glial changes. Thalamic hypometabolism was quite mild and did not correlate with post-operative seizure outcome.

Epilepsy in patients with spina bifida in the lumbosacral region.

This study aimed to assess the relevance of epilepsy and spina bifida in the lumbosacral region. We evaluated 75 patients with spina bifida admitted to the Kyushu University Hospital from 1980 to 2004. Patients were classified as having meningocele (MC, 4 cases), myelomeningocele (MMC, 6), myeloschisis (MS, 45), and lumbosacral lipoma (LL, 20). Nine cases had epileptic disorders, and all showed MS. Meticulous neuroradiological investigations revealed cerebral abnormalities such as polymicrogyria or hypogenesis of the corpus callosum in all epileptic cases. Locations of cerebral abnormalities topographically correlated with areas of interictal EEG abnormalities. Although all epileptic cases had ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt for hydrocephalus before the onset of epilepsy, interictal EEG abnormalities could not be explained by location of the VP shunt. In all LL patients, neither history of epilepsy nor cerebral abnormalities were noted on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Epileptogenesis in spina bifida patients seemed to correlate with coexisting cerebral abnormalities in MS patients rather than with the VP shunt. However, not all spina bifida patients associated with cerebral abnormalities had epilepsy, and not all cerebral abnormalities were epileptogenic, suggesting that epilepsy in spina bifida patients was multifactorial.

An astroblastoma case associated with loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 9p.

The tumorigenesis of astroblastomas has not yet been elucidated on the basis of histopathological studies, and genetic studies may be useful for obtaining additional information regarding the tumorigenesis of these tumors. Here, we report an astroblastoma case in which a genetic analysis was performed. A 16-year-old female with a progressive headache was found to have a demarcated cystic tumor with a mural nodule in the right parietal lobe. Total removal of the tumor was achieved and a histological examination verified that the tumor was an astroblastoma. A genetic analysis using microsatellite markers revealed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 9p. The postoperative course was uneventful and, to date, she has been followed up for 2 years with no signs of recurrence. This is the first reported case of an astroblastoma in which LOH was detected on 9p. Based on this result, the tumorigenesis of astroblastomas is discussed.

[Postoperative transient hemiplegia after resection of the medial frontal tumor involving the supplementary motor area: report of two cases].

The supplementary motor cortex (SMA) is located anterior to the primary motor cortex, and is considered to play an important role in planning, initiating and maintaining sequential motor actions. Disturbance of this area sometimes causes severe contralateral hemiplegia. If the disturbance doesn't affect the primary motor cortex, motor function will recover in relatively early postoperative time. We encountered two cases in which the patients developed postoperative severe hemiplegia after resection of a medial frontal lobe glioma, although there was no apparent change shown in the monitoring of intraoperative motor evoked potential (MEP). Both cases recovered from hemiplegia in the early postoperative period. In our cases, the disturbances of SMA were considered to be the causes of the development of transient hemiplegia. Intraoperative MEP monitoring is useful to distinguish the damage of the primary motor area from that of the SMA.

[Surgical treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy in patients over age 50 years].

We retrospectively analyzed 4 patients over age 50 (52 - 57) years with intractable medial temporal lobe epilepsy(MTLE) who underwent the anterior temporal lobectomy with hippocampectomy. Case 1 had MTLE with old brain abscess in the left lateral temporal lobe and Cases 2 - 4 had MTLE with histologically verified hippocampal sclerosis. In Cases 2 - 4, although the onset of seizures occurred 26 to 37 years prior to the time of surgery, there was no mental problem (IQ = 87 - 100). In Cases 1, chronic invasive electrocorticography recording using subdural electrodes was obtained, while in Case 2 - 4, the epileptogenic region was defined by noninvasive preoperative evaluation. Postoperatively, all patients obtained a meaningful improvement, becoming either free from seizures or only experiencing a rare seizure, and returned to work or usual activities without surgical complications. Surgery for MTLE appears to be effective for older individuals and carries a small risk of postoperative complications.

[Temporal lobe epilepsy associated with cystic lesion in the temporal lobe and middle cranial fossa].

Four patients out of 52 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), who underwent epilepsy surgery in our hospital since September of 1994, had cystic lesions in the temporal lobe and middle cranial fossa. Case 1 had old hematoma cavity in the inferior temporal gyrus and chronic subdural electrode recording revealed the ictal onset zone to be localized in the ipsilateral medial temporal region. Case 2 had cystic ganglioglioma in the temporal tip, and intraoperative electrocorticography demonstrated independent paroxysmal activities from medial temporal region and temporal tip near the cyst. Both area were resected and the patients became seizure free. Case 3 and 4 had arachnoid cysts in the middle cranial fossa. Chronic subdural electrode recording revealed that the ictal onset zone was localized in the ipsilateral inferior temporal gyrus (that had microdysgenesis) in Case 3 and contralateral medial temporal region (that had hippocampal sclerosis) in Case 4, respectively. These finding suggest that co-existence of extra-axial cyst such as Case 3 and 4 is incidental and that arachnoid cyst is less epileptogenic. However, intra-axial cyst such as Case 1 and 2 is epileptogenic and complicated physiological mechanism such as kindling phenomenon or secondary epileptogenesis may effect on the hippocampus. Comprehensive presurgical evaluation including electrocorticography is needed in the surgical treatment of TLE with cystic lesion.

[Symmetrical hemispheric porencephalic cysts due to twin embolization syndrome: a case report].

Twin embolization syndrome (TES) is a complication of monozygotic twining following in utero demise of the co-twin. Passage of thromboplastic materials into the circulation of the surviving fetus results in ischemic structural defects of various systemic organs including the central nervous system (CNS). In our case of monozygotic twining prenatal sonography at the 18th week of gestation revealed intracranial abnormality and demise of the co-twin. Postnatal MRI demonstrates localized cerebral parenchymal defects (porencephalic cysts) in the bilateral hemispheres, which probably were the sequelae to the occlusion of the peripheral branches of the bilateral middle cerebral arteries. She developed physio-mental retardation and subsequently West syndrome. At the 6th months, right porencephalic cyst-peritoneal shunt was performed for progressive enlargement of the head. While the enlargement of the head was well controlled, no changes in her epileptic symptoms were noted. The development of generalized epilepsy in our case may indicate that the involvement of the CNS with TES in our case is not restricted to the porencephalic cysts and their surrounding areas.

Temporal lobe epilepsy and corpora amylacea in the hippocampus: clinicopathologic correlation.

Corpora amylacea (CoA) have been found in about 60% of neurosurgical specimens showing hippocampal sclerosis (HS). To determine clinical and neuroimaging differences between HS with and without CoA, we studied 29 patients (21 male, 8 female; age at surgery, 12 to 49 years) who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy for intractable medial temporal lobe epilepsy. No CoA were noted in the hippocampus of 11 cases, and deposition of CoA was mild and limited to the subependymal and vestigial hippocampal sulcus regions in nine cases; in nine cases, moderate to marked deposition was noted in the pyramidal cell layer, accompanying severe neuronal loss. No significant differences were evident between these three groups for age at onset, frequency and duration of epileptic seizures, the average age at surgery, or surgical results. Hippocampal hyperintensity in fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images tended to increase with increasing hippocampal deposition of CoA. Formation of CoA appears to be a response to neuronal loss in the pyramidal cell layer, being related to the epileptogenic process as a consequence rather than a cause.

[Fetal germinal matrix and intraventricular hemorrhage associated with periventricular leukomalacia].

Subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhage with intraventricular hemorrhage(SEIVH) is a common complication associated with delivery in preterm neonates but has rarely been observed in the fetus. We report a fetus with SEIVH, hydrocephalus and periventricular leukomalacia(PVL). Although this fetus had uneventful prenatal periods, transabdominal ultrasound examination(US) at 33 weeks of pregnancy revealed SEIVH and hydrocephalus, and MRI at 36 weeks did associated PVL. While no events reported that could explain the onset of SEIVH, PVL was considered to be the results of anoxic events associated with SEIVH. In addition to US, information provided by fetal MRI, especially T 2-weighted image, permits a better understanding of the pathophysiology of fetal SEIVH with PVL.

Callosal anomalies in patients with spinal dysraphism: correlation of clinical and neuroimaging features with hemispheric abnormalities.

Dysgenesis of the corpus callosum can occur in association with spinal dysraphic lesions. Clinical and neuroimaging features were reviewed in 23 patients (12 male, 11 female; mean age 11.3 years) with caudal spinal dysraphism (myeloschisis in eight, meningomyelocele in 10, and lumbosacral lipoma in five) to characterize types and degrees of callosal and other cerebral anomalies. T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance images were obtained, and the total midsagittal cross-sectional area of the corpus callosum was determined. The corpus callosum appeared normal in nine patients and was abnormal in 14. In five patients the corpus callosum was narrow, with all regions present; the cerebral hemispheres were hypoplastic. Two patients with dysgenesis of frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes had a small, partly agenetic corpus callosum. In the remaining seven patients the posterior third of the corpus callosum was absent or hypoplastic; six of them had ventriculomegaly that selectively affected the occipital horns (colpocephaly). All callosal anomalies were accompanied by hemispheric ones. This supports a disordered developmental relationship between the corpus callosum and the hemispheres as a cause. Spinal dysraphism can no longer be considered a single developmental abnormality, given the frequent association of other defects.

[Pathophysiology of medial temporal lobe epilepsy: role of cerebral dysgenesis].

We studied the incidence of cerebral dysgenetic lesions(CD) in 39 operated patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy(MTLE) who had hippocampal sclerosis. Four patients had CD, such as menigocele at the ipsilateral temporal fossa, schizencephaly in the ipsilateral peri-Rolandic area, focal cortical dysplasia in the ipsilateral inferior temporal gyrus and periventricular nodular heterotopia at the bilateral inferior horns of the lateral ventricle. Histological examinations of the resected lateral temporal lobes from 29 MTLE patients revealed the presence of microdysgenesis (microscopic cerebral dysgenesis) in 28 patients, including heterotopic white matter neuron(24 cases), molecular layer neuron(14), oligodendroglial cell cluster(11), dilated perivascular space(10). These findings suggest that the congenital factors, as well as hippocampal sclerosis, may be involved in the development of MTLE.

Unilateral striatal damage following status epilepticus of ipsilateral frontal lobe origin.

A 35-year-old man with an old contusional haematoma in the right frontal lobe developed status epilepticus (SE) of right frontal origin. On magnetic resonance (MR) images 10 days after SE, the right striatum showed signal enhancement with Gd-DTPA administration. Subsequent MR imaging 1 month later indicated prolonged T1 and T2 relaxation times in the right striatum. Prolonged seizure activity in the frontal lobe may have induced excitatory neurotoxicity in the ipsilateral striatum, with occurrence of delayed neuronal damage as a result.

[Magnetoencephalographic and electroencephalographic source localization of the interictal spike activities in patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy].

Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) and electroencephalographic (EEG) source localization of the interictal spike activities was performed in 5 patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) to clarify the usefulness of MEG as the preoperative noninvasive examination. According to the Ebersole's classification based on the pattern of spike source localization and orientation, three patients were classified to posterior temporal vertical type, one anterior temporal horizontal type, and one anterior temporal vertical type. In all cases, the MEG and EEG spike did not completely coincide in waveform with each other. The latency of the best correlated equivalent current dipole (ECD) with MEG was slightly shorter than the peak latency of EEG spike. Although the EEG-source montage images at this latency were failed to reveal the potential to be localized to the medial temporal lobe, they demonstrated the potential to extend to the lateral temporal lobe at the peak latency of EEG spike. All patients became seizure free following anterior temporal lobectomy with hippocampectomy. The MEG spike source localization based on the Ebersole's classification may be calculated by the potential extended to the lateral temporal lobe, and, thus, was not useful in the diagnosis of MTLE and for predicting postoperative seizure outcome.

[A case of medial temporal lobe epilepsy associated with occult focal cortical dysplasia in the lateral temporal neocortex].

A 29-year-old male with medial temporal lobe epilepsy(MTLE) was revealed to have "occult" focal cortical dysplasia(FCD) in the lateral temporal neocortex. He had no history of febrile convulsion and developed complex partial seizure at the age of 14 year, which became intractable. Although MRI failed to reveal structural abnormality in the temporal lobe, even retrospectively, the findings of non-invasive preoperative examination, such as video-EEG monitoring and interictal ECD-SPECT and FDG-PET, were consistent with those of the left MTLE. Intraoperative electrocorticography(ECoG) demonstrated almost continuous paroxysmal activities on the anterior part of the inferior temporal gyrus(ITG). Anterior temporal lobectomy(ATL) with hippocampectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed FCD in the small area with 0.8 mm in diameter of the resected ITG. In the ATL without preoperative invasive examination such as chronic subdural electrode recording, intraoperative ECoG recording is mandatory.

Temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal sclerosis and a contralateral middle fossa arachnoid cyst.

We report on a 13-year-old boy with temporal lobe epilepsy associated with left hippocampal sclerosis and a contralateral arachnoid cyst in the middle cranial fossa (ACMCF). Chronic intracranial recording from subdural grid electrodes showed the left medial temporal lobe to be the ictal onset zone. After left anterior temporal lobectomy with hippocampectomy, seizure control was improved. ACMCF was not considered the direct cause of epilepsy; instead the seizures were attributed to hippocampal sclerosis.