Nationwide surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens conducted by the surveillance committee of Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and the Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010: General view of the pathogens\u27 antibacterial susceptibility

The nationwide surveillance on antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens from patients in Japan, was conducted by Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010.The isolates were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections during the period from January and April 2010 by three societies. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted at the central reference laboratory according to the method recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institutes using maximum 45 antibacterial agents.Susceptibility testing was evaluable with 954 strains (206 Staphylococcus aureus, 189 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 4 Streptococcus pyogenes, 182 Haemophilus influenzae, 74 Moraxella catarrhalis, 139 Klebsiella pneumoniae and 160 Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Ratio of methicillin-resistant S.aureus was as high as 50.5%, and those of penicillin-intermediate and -resistant S.pneumoniae were 1.1% and 0.0%, respectively. Among H.influenzae, 17.6% of them were found to be β-lactamase-non-producing ampicillin (ABPC)-intermediately resistant, 33.5% to be β-lactamase-non-producing ABPC-resistant and 11.0% to be β-lactamase-producing ABPC-resistant strains. Extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing K.pneumoniae and multi-drug resistant P.aeruginosa with metallo β-lactamase were 2.9% and 0.6%, respectively.Continuous national surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility of respiratory pathogens is crucial in order to monitor changing patterns of susceptibility and to be able to update treatment recommendations on a regular basis

Influence of chronic volume overload-induced atrial remodeling on electrophysiological responses to cholinergic receptor stimulation in the isolated rat atria

Whereas molecular mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) have been widely investigated, there is limited information regarding interrelation between chronic volume overload and parasympathetic nervous system in the pathophysiology of AF. In this study, we investigated the influence of abdominal aorto-venocaval shunt (AVS)-induced atrial remodeling on electrophysiological responses to cholinergic receptor stimulation in the isolated rat atria. Interstitial fibrosis, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and atrial enlargement, known as structural arrhythmogenic substrates for AF, took place after one month of AVS operation. Carbachol at 0.1 and 1 μM shortened the effective refractory period, acting as functional arrhythmogenic substrates, but increased the conduction velocity both in the atria of the sham-operated and AVS rats. The extents of the electrophysiological responses to carbachol in the atria of the AVS rat were greater than those in the sham-operated ones. Also, the higher inducibility and longer duration of carbachol-mediated AF were detected in the AVS atria than those in the sham-operated ones. These results showed that chronic volume overload-induced atrial remodeling promoted electrophysiological responses to cholinergic receptor stimulation in the isolated atria of rats, suggesting possible synergistic actions between structural arrhythmogenic substrate in the remodeled atria and functional arrhythmogenic substrates modulated by parasympathetic nerve activity. Keywords: Aorto-venocaval shunt, Carbachol, Atrial fibrillation, Effective refractory period, Conduction velocit

Selectivity of Ca2+ channel blockers for dilator actions on the isolated lower esophageal sphincter and aorta from rats

We compared dilator actions of representative four Ca2+ channel blockers on the isolated lower esophagus sphincter (LES) and thoracic aorta from rats. Verapamil, diltiazem, nifedipine and cilnidipine suppressed KCl-induced contractions of LES and thoracic aorta in a concentration-dependent manner. The order of selectivity for LES, which was calculated as ratio of IC50 value for thoracic aorta divided by that for LES, was diltiazem > verapamil > nifedipine > cilnidipine. These results suggest that diltiazem more preferentially dilates the LES whereas cilnidipine is expected to have lower potential risk of gastroesophageal dysfunction during the antihypertensive therapy. Keywords: Ca2+ channel blockers, Lower esophagus sphincter, Thoracic aort

Evaluating the relationship between ocular blood flow and systemic organ blood flow in hemorrhagic shock using a rabbit model

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of utilizing noninvasive ocular blood flow measurements as potential indicators of systemic circulation in rabbits experiencing hemorrhagic shock. Using Laser speckle flowgraphy, ocular blood flow indices, relative flow volume (RFV), and mean blur rate in the choroidal area (MBR-CH) were assessed in New Zealand White rabbits (n = 10) subjected to controlled blood removal and return. Hemodynamic parameters and biochemical markers were monitored alongside ocular circulation during blood removal and return phases. Additionally, correlations between ocular parameters and systemic indices were examined. The results indicated that RFV and MBR-CH exhibited significant correlations with renal and intestinal blood flows, with stronger correlations observed during blood removal. Additionally, ocular blood flow changes closely mirrored systemic dynamics, suggesting their potential as real-time indicators of shock progression and recovery. These findings indicate that ocular blood flow measurements may serve as real-time indicators of the systemic circulation status during hemorrhagic shock, offering potential insights into shock management and guiding tailored interventions. Thus, noninvasive ocular blood flow evaluation holds promise as an innovative tool for assessing systemic circulation dynamics during hemorrhagic shock