Tryptophan-sensing receptor GPR142 expression levels are directly regulated by proinflammatory cytokines in ghrelin-producing cells.

GPR142 is a tryptophan-sensing receptor that has been implicated in the regulation of inflammation. In this study, we investigated the relationships between inflammatory cytokine and GPR142 expression by using cellular, animal models, and human stomach samples. We found that addition of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β into the culture of ghrelin-producing cell line, MGN3-1 cells, increased GPR142 mRNA expression levels.

Pott's Puffy Tumor Initially Presenting as Eyelid Swelling without Typical Forehead Swelling: A Case Report.

Pott's puffy tumor is a rare complication of frontal sinusitis characterized by frontal bone osteomyelitis with a subperiosteal abscess typically presenting with forehead swelling. We herein report a 21-year-old man with Pott's puffy tumor presenting as eyelid swelling on the opposite side of the sinusitis, without typical forehead swelling. Initially treated for sinusitis and pre-septal cellulitis with poor response, head magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral subdural abscesses and osteomyelitis of the frontal and bilateral parietal bones, leading to the diagnosis.

Four successive cases of human fasciolosis in Japan.

Fasciolosis is a food-borne parasitic disease, caused by the large liver fluke, Fasciola. Humans acquire infection by ingesting fresh or undercooked water plants, on which infective metacercaria encyst. In spite of the rarity of the disease in Japan, we encountered four successive fasciolosis patients within a short period, who were all living in the same area.

Successful maintenance treatment of disseminated nocardiosis with cerebral abscess in a severely immunocompromised patient allergic to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole using moxifloxacin and high-dose minocycline: A case report.

Nocardiosis in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is rare, but is associated with a significant mortality risk. Although trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) remains the cornerstone of nocardiosis treatment, optimal alternative therapies for patients intolerant to TMP/SMX are not well-established. Herein, we report a case of disseminated nocardiosis with bacteremia and multiple lesions in the lungs and brain caused by Nocardia farcinica, in a 60-year-old man who had previously undergone allogeneic HSCT and was receiving immunosuppressants for severe chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Risk stratification and prognosis prediction using cardiac biomarkers in COVID-19: a single-centre retrospective cohort study.

Objective: There is a need for a robust tool to stratify the patient's risk with COVID-19. We assessed the prognostic values of cardiac biomarkers for COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This is a single-centre retrospective cohort study.

Profiling of Unfolded Protein Response Markers and Effect of IRE1α-specific Inhibitor in Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor.

Context: Inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) and PKR-like ER kinase (PERK), which are endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane proteins, regulate the unfolded protein response (UPR). These molecules have recently gained attention as a novel therapeutic target in secretory tumors. The roles of the UPR in pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are unclear.

A descriptive study on the potential transmission of COVID-19 to hospitalized patients from a nursery school affiliated with it.

Introduction: During the epidemic of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, nosocomial transmissions from healthcare workers (HCWs) to patients occur frequently. The influence of COVID-19 on hospitalized patients from nursing schools affiliated with the hospitals is a concern but it had not been well studied.

Methods: We here describe COVID-19 outbreaks at the nursery school affiliated with an acute-care hospital, during the surges of the Omicron variants on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 children as well as for the patients who were judged to be the close contacts of patients of COVID-19 by contact investigation by PCR testing.

Thyroid function, glycemic control, and diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes over 24 months: prospective observational study.

Background: The higher prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in type 1 diabetes patients has been well established, whereas it is a matter of debate whether that is also observed in type 2 diabetes patients. This study was conducted to reveal whether higher prevalence of thyroid dysfunction is observed in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We examined thyroid functions and thyroid autoantibodies in 200 patients with type 2 diabetes and 225 controls, with 24 months follow up for those with type 2 diabetes.

Predictive factors and clinical impact of ICU-acquired weakness on functional disability in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19.

Background: Patients with critical COVID-19 often require invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), resulting in a higher incidence of ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) and functional decline.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the causes of ICU-AW and functional outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19 who required IMV.

Methods: This prospective, single-center, observational study included COVID-19 patients who required IMV for ≥48 h in the ICU between July 2020 and July 2021.

Trajectories of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in patients with hematological malignancy.

Objectives: The higher risk of prolonged viral shedding in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients with hematological malignancies (HM) necessitates test-based de-isolation strategies. However, evidence to establish their appropriate isolation period is insufficient. This study investigated the factors affecting prolonged viral shedding and the requisite isolation period in these patients.

A pseudo-outbreak of COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis: a microbiological investigation of both the patients and the environment.

Background: We experienced a pseudo-outbreak of aspergillosis in a newly constructed COVID-19 ward. Within the first 3 months from the commencement of the ward, six intubated patients of COVID-19 developed probable or possible pulmonary aspergillosis. We suspected an outbreak of pulmonary aspergillosis associated with ward construction and launched air sampling for the investigation of the relationship between these.

Effect of SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine on thyroid autoimmunity: A twelve-month follow-up study.

Objectives: Graves' disease (GD) has been highlighted as a possible adverse effect of the respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine. However, it is unknown if the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine disrupts thyroid autoimmunity. We aimed to present long-term follow-up of thyroid autoimmunity after the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine.

Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 caused by the Alpha variant compared with one by wild type in Kobe, Japan. A multi-center nested case-control study.

Objectives: The emergence of the Alpha variant of novel coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) is a concerning issue but their clinical implications have not been investigated fully.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study to compare severity and mortality caused by the Alpha variant (B.1.

Humoral response and safety of the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccines in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: An observational study.

Background: The effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the optimal timing of vaccine administration in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT) recipients remains inadequately investigated. We examine the effectiveness and safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in allo-HSCT recipients.

Method: This prospective observational study included 44 allo-HSCT recipients and 38 healthy volunteers.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors for multidrug-resistant bacterial isolation in patients with international travel history.

Background: International travelers are at risk of carrying resistant bacteria. It is critical to identify risk factors associated with multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) colonization in travelers.

Methods: A retrospective chart review observational study was conducted at two tertiary centers in Japan for inpatients who had been hospitalized or visited an outpatient clinic overseas within the previous 12 months.

Cold agglutinin anti-I antibodies in two patients with COVID-19.

Background: Cold agglutinin syndrome (CAS) is associated with various diseases. Several studies of CAS associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported hemolytic anemia and thrombosis; however, the clinical significance of cold agglutinins (CA) in patients with COVID-19 is unclear. Here, we present two cases of CA identified in the context of COVID-19 without hemolytic anemia and clotting.

Patient-centered outcomes at hospital discharge in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients in Kobe, Japan: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

Background: Apart from saving the lives of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients on mechanical ventilation (MV), recovery from the sequelae of prolonged MV (PMV) is an emerging issue.c METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study among consecutive adult COVID-19 patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Kobe, Japan, between March 3, 2020, and January 31, 2021, and received invasive MV. Clinical outcomes included in-hospital mortality and recovery from COVID-19 in survivors regarding organ dysfunction, respiratory symptoms, and functional status at discharge.

A cross-sectional follow up study to estimate seroprevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 in Kobe, Japan.

We conducted a study to estimate the seroprevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Kobe, Japan with positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) rate of 3.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3%-4.

Impact of serum lactate dehydrogenase on the short-term prognosis of COVID-19 with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and underlying cardiovascular comorbidities have poor prognoses. Our aim was to identify the impact of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which is associated with mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome, on the prognoses of patients with COVID-19 and underlying cardiovascular comorbidities.

Methods: Among 1518 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 enrolled in the CLAVIS-COVID (Clinical Outcomes of COVID-19 Infection in Hospitalized Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases and/or Risk Factors study), 515 patients with cardiovascular comorbidities were analyzed.