67 research outputs found

    Availability of a remote online hemodynamic monitoring system during treatment in a private dental office for medically high-risk patients

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    The importance of systemic management to prevent accidents is increasing in dentistry because co-morbid illnesses in an aging society and invasive surgical procedures are increasing. In this prefecture, a new medical system called the remote online hemodynamic monitoring system (ROHMs) was started in 2001. Eight private dental offices participated in this trial. When dental practitioners feel the risk of a dental procedure, they can contact via ROHMs to this hospital. Then, the hemodynamic data (blood pressure, heart rate, ECG, SpO2, and RPP) of the patient in the clinic can be transmitted here via the internet, and the images and the voice can be transmitted as well. The availability of this system was assessed in 66 patients (98 cases). The most frequent complications were hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus. Systemic management included monitoring during the dental procedure (71.4%), checking vital signs after an interview (15.3%), and monitoring under sedation (13.3%). There were 35.7% of all cases where an unscheduled procedure was necessary for the systemic management. Based on a questionnaire, the majority of the patients felt relieved and safe. This system creates a situation where a specialist is almost present during the procedure. This system will provide significant assistance for future medical cooperation for risk management

    Immunohistochemical Analysis of Oral Dysplasia: Diagnostic Assessment by Fascin and Podoplanin Expression

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    The aim of this study was to investigate fascin and podoplanin expression in oral dysplasia and carcinoma in situ (CIS) immunohistochemically, and to evaluate their relationship to histopathological diagnosis based on architectural and cytological features. Fascin and podoplanin expression patterns were analyzed immunohistologically in 26 specimens of oral lesions, including benign disease (hyperplasia, papilloma, and others), intraepithelial neoplasia/borderline disease (dysplasia), and malignant disease (CIS, invasive squamous cell carcinoma). Fascin expression was scored into four original categories, and podoplanin expression was scored into five previously established categories. The relationship between the immunohistochemically determined scores of fascin and podoplanin expression and the architectural and cytological features in the hematoxylin-eosin-stained slides was analyzed statistically. The immunostaining scores for fascin and podoplanin were significantly higher in dysplasia and CIS than in benign disease (p=0.0011, p=0.00036), and they were significantly higher in dysplasia than in benign disease (p=0.0087, p=0.0032). In all cases of invasive SCC, fascin was expressed mainly in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells and fascin expression extended from the destruction of the basal layer of the epithelium to the upper layer of the epithelium and podoplanin was expressed in the cytoplasm and membrane of the tumor cells. This was the first report of up-regulation of fascin in oral dysplasia. Our results suggest that it would be helpful for improving the diagnostic accuracy of oral dysplasia and CIS to assess the expression of fascin and podoplanin immunohistochemically

    Autophagy-Inducing Factor Atg1 Is Required for Virulence in the Pathogenic Fungus Candida glabrata

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    Candida glabrata is one of the leading causes of candidiasis and serious invasive infections in hosts with weakened immune systems. C. glabrata is a haploid budding yeast that resides in healthy hosts. Little is known about the mechanisms of C. glabrata virulence. Autophagy is a \u27self-eating\u27 process developed in eukaryotes to recycle molecules for adaptation to various environments. Autophagy is speculated to play a role in pathogen virulence by supplying sources of essential proteins for survival in severe host environments. Here, we investigated the effects of defective autophagy on C. glabrata virulence. Autophagy was induced by nitrogen starvation and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in C. glabrata.A mutant strain lacking CgAtg1, an autophagy-inducing factor, was generated and confirmed to be deficient for autophagy. The Cgatg1Δ strain was sensitive to nitrogen starvation and H2O2, died rapidly in water without any nutrients, and showed high intracellular ROS levels compared with the wild-type strain and the CgATG1-reconstituted strain in vitro. Upon infecting mouse peritoneal macrophages, the Cgatg1Δ strain showed higher mortality from phagocytosis by macrophages. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using two mouse models of disseminated candidiasis and intra-abdominal candidiasis. The Cgatg1Δ strain showed significantly decreased CFUs in the organs of the two mouse models. These results suggest that autophagy contributes to C. glabrata virulence by conferring resistance to unstable nutrient environments and immune defense of hosts, and that Atg1 is a novel fitness factor in Candida species

    Virulence assessment of six major pathogenic Candida species in the mouse model of invasive candidiasis caused by fungal translocation

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    Gastrointestinal colonization has been considered as the primary source of candidaemia; however, few established mouse models are available that mimic this infection route. We therefore developed a reproducible mouse model of invasive candidiasis initiated by fungal translocation and compared the virulence of six major pathogenic Candida species. The mice were fed a low-protein diet and then inoculated intragastrically with Candida cells. Oral antibiotics and cyclophosphamide were then administered to facilitate colonization and subsequent dissemination of Candida cells. Mice infected with Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis exhibited higher mortality than mice infected with the other four species. Among the less virulent species, stool titres of Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis were higher than those of Candida krusei and Candida guilliermondii. The fungal burdens of C. parapsilosis and C. krusei in the livers and kidneys were significantly greater than those of C. guilliermondii. Histopathologically, C. albicans demonstrated the highest pathogenicity to invade into gut mucosa and liver tissues causing marked necrosis. Overall, this model allowed analysis of the virulence traits of Candida strains in individual mice including colonization in the gut, penetration into intestinal mucosa, invasion into blood vessels, and the subsequent dissemination leading to lethal infections

    Evaluation of Candida peritonitis with underlying peritoneal fibrosis and efficacy of micafungin in murine models of intra-abdominal candidiasis

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    Candida peritonitis is a crucial disease, however the optimal antifungal therapy regimen has not been clearly defined. Peritoneal fibrosis (PF)can be caused by abdominal surgery, intra-abdominal infection, and malignant diseases, and is also widely recognized as a crucial complication of long-term peritoneal dialysis. However, the influence of PF on Candida peritonitis prognosis remains unknown. Here, we evaluated the severity of Candida peritonitis within the context of PF and the efficacy of micafungin using mice. A PF mouse model was generated by intraperitoneally administering chlorhexidine gluconate. Candida peritonitis, induced by intraperitoneal inoculation of Candida albicans, was treated with a 7-day consecutive subcutaneous administration of micafungin. Candida infection caused a higher mortality rate in the PF mice compared with the control mice on day 7. Proliferative Candida invasion into the peritoneum and intra-abdominal organs was confirmed pathologically only in the PF mice. However, all mice in both groups treated with micafungin survived until day 20. Micafungin treatment tends to suppress inflammatory cytokines in the plasma 12 h after infection in both groups. Our results suggest that PF enhances early mortality in Candida peritonitis. Prompt initiation and sufficient doses of micafungin had good efficacy for Candida peritonitis, irrespective of the underlying PF

    A rare case of concomitant huge exophytic gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach and Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We report an extremely rare case of concomitant huge exophytic GIST of the stomach and Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP).</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>The patient was a 67-year-old man experiencing abdominal distension since September 2006. A physical examination revealed a 25 × 30 cm hard mass that was palpable in the middle and lower left abdomen minimal intrinsic mobility and massive ascites. Since the admitted patient was diagnosed with DIC, surgery could not be performed. The patient received a platelet transfusion and the DIC was treated. Due to this treatment, the platelet count recovered to 7.0 × 10<sup>4</sup>; tumor resection was performed at 16 days after admission. Laparotomy revealed a huge extraluminal tumor arising from the greater curvature of the stomach that measured 25 × 30 cm and had not ruptured into the peritoneal cavity or infiltrated other organs. Partial gastric resection was performed. The resected mass measured 25 × 25 × 20 cm. In cross section, the tumor appeared hard and homogenous with a small polycystic area. Histopathology of the resected specimen showed large spindle cell GIST with >5/50 HPF (high-power field) mitotic activity. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the coagulopathy improved rapidly.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Since the characteristic of tumor in this case was hypervascularity with bleeding and necrotic lesions, coagulopathy was thought to be caused by the trapping of platelets within a large vasculized tumor mass.</p

    Statistics on Outpatients, Inpatients and Operations in the Department of Urology at the Sapporo Medical College in 1965.

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    Statistical observations were made on urological diseases of outpatients, inpatients and operative cases admitted at the Department of Urology, Sapporo Medical College during 1965. 1) The total number of outpatients was 2,143 with 1,129 males and 1,014 females. The ratio of male against female was 1.11 : 1. The breakdown of the main dseases were as follows : 166 urogenital tuberculosis, 454 nonspecific cystitis, 84 urolithiasis, 47 bladder tumor and 108 prostatic tumor cases. 2) The number of outpatients under 15 years of age was 248 with 20 cryptorchidism, 34 enuresis and 10 acute hemorrhagic cystitis cases. 3) The number of outpatients over 61 years was 251 with 80 prostatic tumor and 12 bladder tumor cases. 4) The total number of inpatients was 348 with 41 renal tuberculosis, 27 renal and ureteral stones, 10 renal tumor, 34 bladder tumor and 63 prostatic tumor cases. 5) The total number of operations was 338 and that of the transurethral manipulations was 222 with 34 nephrectomies, 18 prostatectomies, 4 total cystectomies, 12 urinary diversionsoperations, 20 TURP and 32 TUR-electrocoagulation of bladder tumors.departmental bulletin pape

    Unexpected effects of azole transporter inhibitors on antifungal susceptibility in Candida glabrata and other pathogenic Candida species

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    The pathogenic fungus Candida glabrata is often resistant to azole antifungal agents. Drug efflux through azole transporters, such as Cdr1 and Cdr2, is a key mechanism of azole resistance and these genes are under the control of the transcription factor Pdr1. Recently, the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitor clorgyline was shown to inhibit the azole efflux pumps, leading to increased azole susceptibility in C. glabrata. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of clorgyline on susceptibility of C. glabrata to not only azoles, but also to micafungin and amphotericin B, using wild-type and several mutant strains. The addition of clorgyline to the culture media increased fluconazole susceptibility of a C. glabrata wild-type strain, whereas micafungin and amphotericin B susceptibilities were markedly decreased. These phenomena were also observed in other medically important Candida species, including Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei. Expression levels of CDR1, CDR2 and PDR1 mRNAs and an amount of Cdr1 protein in the C. glabrata wild-type strain were highly increased in response to the treatment with clorgyline. However, loss of Cdr1, Cdr2, Pdr1, and a putative clorgyline target (Fms1), which is an ortholog of human MAO-A, or overexpression of CDR1 did not affect the decreased susceptibility to micafungin and amphotericin B in the presence of clorgyline. The presence of other azole efflux pump inhibitors including milbemycin A4 oxime and carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone also decreased micafungin susceptibility in C. glabrata wild-type, Δcdr1, Δcdr2, and Δpdr1 strains. These findings suggest that azole efflux pump inhibitors increase azole susceptibility but concurrently induce decreased susceptibility to other classes of antifungals independent of azole transporter functions
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