Ecological overview of hard ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) in Nagasaki prefecture of western Japan during winter 2021–2022

In Japan, Japanese spotted fever, Lyme disease and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome caused by Ixodidae species are endemic. To prevent and control the diseases, fundamental understandings in tick ecology are crucial. Hence, this study aimed to analyse tick species richness and abundance across Nagasaki prefecture including its remote islands from a wide range of environments. A total of 74 sampling points screening during winter 2021–2022, using dragging method resulted in 14,883 tick samples (279 adults, 7148 nymphs and 7456 larvae) in 11 species belonging to four genera. Haemaphysalis flava dominated adult populations, while H. formosensis was predominant among nymphs. Both species are possible vectors of Japanese spotted fever and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. The ecological analysis revealed more complex species distribution in the remote islands compering to the main island in both adults and nymphs. In addition, the ground temperature was a significant regulatory factor for both adults and nymphs. The research provides valuable insights on tick distributions, ecological groupings and environmental preferences in Nagasaki. These findings contribute to the fundamental understanding of tick ecology and could contribute to design strategies for tick population control and tick-borne disease prevention in Nagasaki or possibility to nearby areas.Scientific Reports, 15(1), art. no. 4114; 2025journal articl

Uranotaenia novobscura ryukyuana (Diptera: Culicidae) Population Dynamics Are Denso-Dependent and Autonomous From Weather Fluctuations

Larvae of the mosquito Uranotaenia novobscura ryukyuana Tanaka et al., have been reported in tree-holes, bamboo stumps, and artiTcial water containers. So far, no study has addressed the role that density dependence and weather suctuations could have played in the abundance of this nonvector mosquito. A year-long study was conducted on the population dynamics of this mosquito using oviposition traps in Okinawa, Japan. Time series analysis and the Ricker population model were used to analyze the association between mosquito density and population growth and suctuations in relative humidity, temperature, and rainfall. Our results suggest that Ur. novobscura ryukyuana has stable denso-dependent dynamics, which are autonomous from weather suctuations. Our results were opposite to patterns observedin other subtropical mosquito species, whose population dynamics might be partially driven by weather suctuations, thus highlighting the diversity of responses that mosquitoes can have to changing environments

Recent Incidence of Human Malaria Caused by Plasmodium knowlesi in the Villages in Kudat Peninsula, Sabah, Malaysia: Mapping of The Infection Risk Using Remote Sensing Data

Plasmodium knowlesi (Pk) is a malaria parasite that naturally infects macaque monkeys in Southeast Asia. Pk malaria, the zoonosis transmitted from the infected monkeys to the humans by Anopheles mosquito vectors, is now a serious health problem in Malaysian Borneo. To createa strategic plan to control Pk malaria, it is important to estimate the occurrence of the disease correctly. The rise of Pk malaria has been explained as being due to ecological changes, especially deforestation. In this research, we analysed the time-series satellite images of MODIS (MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) of the Kudat Peninsula in Sabah and created the “Pk risk map” on which the Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) information was visualised. The case number of Pk malaria of a village appeared to have a correlation with the quantity of two specific LULC classes, the mosaic landscape of oil palm groves and the nearby land-use patches of dense forest, surrounding the village. Applying a Poisson multivariate regression with a generalized linear mixture model (GLMM), the occurrence of Pk malaria cases was estimated from the population and the quantified LULC distribution on the map. The obtained estimations explained the real case numbers well, when the contribution of another risk factor, possibly the occupation of the villagers, is considered. This implies that the occurrence of the Pk malaria cases of a village can be predictable from the population of the village and the LULC distribution shown around it on the map. The Pk risk map will help to assess the Pk malaria risk distributions quantitatively and to discover the hidden key factors behind the spread of this zoonosis

Nasal Septal Perforation in Propylthiouracil-Induced Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis

Here, we present the case of a 29-year-old woman with nasal septal perforation and positive myeloperoxidase- (MPO-) anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA). She had been diagnosed with Graves’ disease and had been treated with propylthiouracil (PTU) for 14 months. A biopsy of the nasal septum revealed an infiltration of inflammatory cells, with no evidence of malignancy or granulomatous change. Because of the use of PTU, destructive nasal lesion, and positive MPO-ANCA, she was diagnosed with drug-induced ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and was treated with prednisolone and methotrexate after the cessation of PTU. Although PTU is known to be the medicine that induces drug-induced AAV, the manifestation of nasal septal perforation in drug-induced AAV is poorly identified. This is the rare case of drug-induced AAV which manifested only nasal septal perforation

研究速報 : Making five atomic force microscope for 200,000yen each : A student project

特集2 日仏マイクロメカトロニクス国際共同研究組織(LIMMS

Curative Endoscopic Resection of a Widespread Superficial Adenocarcinoma in a Long-segment Barrett’s Esophagus

We report about a patient with an extremely rare long-segment Barrett’s esophagus (LSBE) who developed extensive superficial adenocarcinoma and underwent radical (R0) resection based on an accurate preoperative diagnosis of tumor extent. A 68-year-old man with no subjective symptoms and no noteworthy medical history was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma after a biopsy of a protruding lesion in the lower esophagus. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) magnification endoscopy revealed that the protruded lesion was within the LSBE, and a flatly extended superficial esophageal adenocarcinoma (SEAC) was observed proximal to the protruded lesion. After confirming the extent of the tumorous lesion via endoscopic biopsy, subcircumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was performed for the extensive tumor, which resulted in a histological R0 resection. Prophylactic steroid therapy was performed to prevent refractory post-ESD stenosis. There was no residual tumor or recurrence of the cancer, and the patient’s postoperative course was favorable. Preoperative diagnosis of tumor extent using NBI magnification endoscopy may therefore be useful for characterizing SEAC occurring in the LSBE, given that detecting the presence and determining the extent of these tumors is normally difficult. Prophylactic therapy with local steroid injection can prevent refractory stenosis after quite extensive ESDs for SEACs in the LSBE.journal articl

Changes in conditional net survival and dynamic prognostic factors in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer initially treated with androgen deprivation therapy

Background The purpose of this study was to identify predictive factors associated with conditional net survival in patients with metastatic hormone-naive prostate cancer (mHNPC) initially treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Methods At nine hospitals in Tohoku, Japan, the medical records of 605 consecutive patients with mHNPC who initially received ADT were retrospectively reviewed. The Pohar Perme estimator was used to calculate conditional net cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) for up to 5 years subsequent to the diagnosis. Using multiple imputation, proportional hazard ratios for conditional CSS and OS were calculated with adjusted Cox regression models. Results During a median follow up of 2.95 years, 208 patients died, of which 169 died due to progressive prostate cancer. At baseline, the 5-year CSS and OS rates were 65.5% and 58.2%, respectively. Conditional 5-year net CSS and OS survival gradually increased for all the patients. In patients given a 5-year survivorship, the conditional 5-year net CSS and OS rates improved to 0.906 and 0.811, respectively. Only the extent of disease score (EOD) >= 2 remained a prognostic factor for CSS and OS up to 5 years; as survival time increased, other variables were no longer independent prognostic factors. Conclusions The conditional 5-year net CSS and OS in patients with mHNPC gradually increased; thus, the risk of mortality decreased with increasing survival. The patient\u27s risk profile changed over time. EOD remained an independent prognostic factor for CSS and OS after 5-year follow-up. Conditional net survival can play a role in clinical decision-making, providing intriguing information for cancer survivors

Prognostic significance of early changes in serum biomarker levels in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer

We evaluated the impact of early changes in serum biomarker levels on the survival of patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) who were initially treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). We retrospectively investigated 330 patients with mHSPC whose serum maker levels were at baseline and at 2-4 months. An optimal Cox regression model was established with the highest optimism-corrected concordance index based on 10-fold cross-validation. The median cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were 7.08 and 6.47 years (median follow-up, 2.53 years), respectively. In the final optimal Cox model with serum biomarker levels treated as time-varying covariates, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), hemoglobin (Hb), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) significantly increased the risk of poor survival in the context of both CSS and OS. Kaplan-Meier curves stratified by the three risk factors of high PSA, low Hb and high ALP desmondtated that median OS were not reached with none of these factors, 6.47 years with one or two factors, and 1.76 years with all three factors. Early changes in serum biomarker levels after ADT may be good prognostic markers for the survival of patients with mHSPC

Serological Surveillance Development for Tropical Infectious Diseases Using Simultaneous Microsphere-Based Multiplex Assays and Finite Mixture Models

Background:A strategy to combat infectious diseases, including neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), will depend on the development of reliable epidemiological surveillance methods. To establish a simple and practical seroprevalence detection system, we developed a microsphere-based multiplex immunoassay system and evaluated utility using samples obtained in Kenya.Methods:We developed a microsphere-based immuno-assay system to simultaneously measure the individual levels of plasma antibody (IgG) against 8 antigens derived from 6 pathogens: Entamoeba histolytica (C-IgL), Leishmania donovani (KRP42), Toxoplasma gondii (SAG1), Wuchereria bancrofti (SXP1), HIV (gag, gp120 and gp41), and Vibrio cholerae (cholera toxin). The assay system was validated using appropriate control samples. The assay system was applied for 3411 blood samples collected from the general population randomly selected from two health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) cohorts in the coastal and western regions of Kenya. The immunoassay values distribution for each antigen was mathematically defined by a finite mixture model, and cut-off values were optimized.Findings:Sensitivities and specificities for each antigen ranged between 71 and 100%. Seroprevalences for each pathogen from the Kwale and Mbita HDSS sites (respectively) were as follows: HIV, 3.0% and 20.1%; L. donovani, 12.6% and 17.3%; E. histolytica, 12.8% and 16.6%; and T. gondii, 30.9% and 28.2%. Seroprevalences of W. bancrofti and V. cholerae showed relatively high figures, especially among children. The results might be affected by immunological cross reactions between W. bancrofti-SXP1 and other parasitic infections; and cholera toxin and the enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), respectively.Interpretation:A microsphere-based multi-serological assay system can provide an opportunity to comprehensively grasp epidemiological features for NTDs. By adding pathogens and antigens of interest, optimized made-to-order high-quality programs can be established to utilize limited resources to effectively control NTDs in Africa