Nationwide genome surveillance of carbapenem-resistant in Japan.

Japan is a country with an approximate 10% prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistant (CRPA). Currently, a comprehensive overview of the genotype and phenotype patterns of CRPA in Japan is lacking. Herein, we conducted genome sequencing and quantitative antimicrobial susceptibility testing for 382 meropenem-resistant CRPA isolates that were collected from 78 hospitals across Japan from 2019 to 2020.

Stiffness as measured with strain elastography is a prognostic factor for pT1/T2 tongue squamous cell carcinoma with muscle-layer invasion.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate stiffness as a prognostic factor for tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC).

Study Design: This retrospective study included 55 patients with pathologic stage pT1 or T2 TSCC with muscle-layer invasion who underwent preoperative strain elastography of the tongue, followed by surgery, as the primary treatment modality at our cancer center. The stiffness of TSCC was semi-quantified as the ratio of the strain value of a non-tumor site to the strain value of the tumor site (strain ratio [SR]) using ultrasound strain elastography findings.

Random forest algorithms to classify frailty and falling history in seniors using plantar pressure measurement insoles: a large-scale feasibility study.

Background: Frailty and falls are two adverse characteristics of aging that impair the quality of life of senior people and increase the burden on the healthcare system. Various methods exist to evaluate frailty, but none of them are considered the gold standard. Technological methods have also been proposed to assess the risk of falling in seniors.

Effect of gait protocols and postoperative shoes on off-loading of forefoot in preoperative patients for forefoot disorders.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of gait protocols and postoperative shoes on forefoot load in preoperative patients for forefoot disorders and compare footwear comfort between different types of postoperative shoes.

Methods: Fourteen subjects scheduled to undergo forefoot surgeries were recruited. The maximum force under the forefoot region was measured during 10 m straight walking in two gait patterns with six different shoe types.

A 'Giving way' captured during walking by gyroscopes and plantar force sensors.

'Giving way' is a rapid inversion of the rear part of the foot, which does not result in an acute lateral ankle sprain. It is a specific event for patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). This report described a 'giving way' in an 18-year-old female with CAI, which was biomechanically captured during walking on the flat surface.

Stiffness of tongue squamous cell carcinoma measured using strain elastography correlates with the amount of collagen fibers in the tumor.

Objectives: To evaluate the stiffness of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) using ultrasound strain elastography, a relatively new sonographic imaging technique, and to identify the factors that affect this stiffness.

Methods: We treated 62 patients diagnosed with muscle invasive TSCC, who were treated at the department of oral surgery of our institution. Each patient's tumor stiffness was semi-quantified according to the ratio of cancer to tongue muscle strain measured using ultrasound strain elastography (the strain ratio).

Random forest algorithms for recognizing daily life activities using plantar pressure information: a smart-shoe study.

Background: Wearable activity trackers are regarded as a new opportunity to deliver health promotion interventions. Indeed, while the prediction of active behaviors is currently primarily relying on the processing of accelerometer sensor data, the emergence of smart clothes with multi-sensing capacities is offering new possibilities. Algorithms able to process data from a variety of smart devices and classify daily life activities could therefore be of particular importance to achieve a more accurate evaluation of physical behaviors.

Comparison of de-duplication methods used by WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) and Japan Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (JANIS) in the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.

A major issue in the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is "de-duplication" or removal of repeated isolates, for which there exist multiple methods. The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) requires de-duplication by selecting only the first isolate of a given bacterial species per patient per surveillance period per specimen type per age group, gender, and infection origin stratification. However, no study on the comparative application of this method has been reported.

Impact of mutations in hVISA isolates on decreased susceptibility to vancomycin, through population analyses profile - area under curve (PAP-AUC).

We analyzed sequences of graSR, vraSR, walKR and rpoB genes in hVISA from Brazil. Five isolates showed mutations in at least one gene. rpoB H481N and graS T224I were the most frequent mutations, followed by graR D148Q and walK A468T.

Development of intraoperative plantar pressure measuring system considering weight bearing axis.

Purpose: Surgical reconstructions in three dimensions are needed for treatment of foot and ankle deformities. However, surgical results might be influenced by the skill and experience of doctors which complement the limited information for reconstructions in three dimensions. To solve these, studies were carried out to measure plantar pressure distribution during surgery.

FOXA1 Induces E-Cadherin Expression at the Protein Level via Suppression of Slug in Epithelial Breast Cancer Cells.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process during embryonic development and tumor progression by which adherent epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal properties. Forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1) is a transcriptional regulator preferentially expressed in epithelial breast cancer cells, and its expression is lost in mesenchymal breast cancer cells. However, the implication of this biased expression of FOXA1 in breast cancer is not fully understood.

First case report of non-human primates (Alouatta clamitans) with the hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae serotype K1 strain ST 23: A possible emerging wildlife pathogen.

Background: Hypervirulent strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae genotype K1 isolates have recently emerged, causing severe pyogenic liver abscess complicated by devastating metastatic infections in humans.

Methods: We describe a short outbreak of the non-human primate (NHP) research center, associated with a hypervirulent K. pneumoniae.

Tyrosine Phosphorylation of the Pioneer Transcription Factor FoxA1 Promotes Activation of Estrogen Signaling.

The pioneer transcription factor FoxA1 plays an important role in estrogen signaling by opening closed chromatin and promoting recruitment of the estrogen receptor to its target regions in DNA. In this study, we analyzed tyrosine phosphorylation of FoxA1 by the non-receptor-type tyrosine kinase c-Abl. c-Abl was shown to phosphorylate FoxA1 at multiple sites, especially in the N- and C-terminal regions.

Selective antagonization of activated Nrf2 and inhibition of cancer cell proliferation by procyanidins from Cinnamomi Cortex extract.

Nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an important transcription factor and plays a central role in inducible expression of many cytoprotective genes. Recent studies have reported that various cancer cells having unrestrained Nrf2 due to its overexpression exhibit increased proliferation and resistance to chemotherapy. Suppression of abnormal Nrf2 activation is needed for a new therapeutic approach against these cancers.

Measuring gait pattern in elderly individuals by using a plantar pressure measurement device.

Background: Hip fracture in the elderly is a serious problem, and solutions to prevent falls are needed.

Objective: This study focused on elucidating data critical to fall prevention by evaluating ambulatory function, and we achieved this by developing a plantar pressure measurement device to determine gait function.

Methods: Our device enables measurement of gait function in the unrestrained state by transmitting wireless data.

Nursing practice environment, quality of care, and morale of hospital nurses in Japan.

The purpose of this study was to describe Japanese hospital nurses' perceptions of the nursing practice environment and examine its association with nurse-reported ability to provide quality nursing care, quality of patient care, and ward morale. A cross-sectional survey design was used including 223 nurses working in 12 acute inpatient wards in a large Japanese teaching hospital. Nurses rated their work environment favorably overall using the Japanese version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index.

[Role of medium-sized independent laboratories in control of healthcare-associated infection].

In 2006, the Ministry of Health and Welfare revised the regulations regarding the Medical Service Law. The amendments stipulate that all healthcare institutions are required to implement infection control programs. However, small hospitals and clinics have no clinical microbiology laboratories, whereas medium-sized hospitals have few medical technologists and the outsourcing of microbiology tests to independent laboratories is common.

Isolation of leptospira Serovars Canicola and Copenhageni from cattle urine in the state of ParanÁ, Brazil.

In 2001, 698 urine samples were randomly collected from cattle at a slaughterhouse in the State of Paraná, Brazil. Direct examination using dark field microscopy was carried out immediately after collection. Five putative positive samples were cultured in modified EMJH medium, yielding two positive cultures (LO-14 and LO-10).

Intradermal vaccination of adults with three low doses (2 micrograms) of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. I. Seroconversion rate and adverse effects.

A total of 250 dentists (53.6% men and 46.4% women), with a mean age of 35.

Population studies of the Y-chromosome of loci DYS390, DYS391 and DYS393 in Brazilian subjects and its use in human identification.

Human identification can be accomplished by several technical procedures, especially by the comparative analysis of dental documents. Recent advances in molecular biology have now widened the scope for human identification and defined the protocols for the collection of biological material. Allele patterns of a population are particularly useful and they should be verified since they vary in different populations.

[Evaluation of 3 methods of DNA extraction from paraffin-embedded material for the amplification of genomic DNA using PCR].

There are several protocols reported in the literature for the extraction of genomic DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples. Genomic DNA is utilized in molecular analyses, including PCR. This study compares three different methods for the extraction of genomic DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia) and non-formalin-fixed (normal oral mucosa) samples: phenol with enzymatic digestion, and silica with and without enzymatic digestion.