A 2019 nationwide study in Japan revealed the predominant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) types in bloodstream infections (BSIs) to be sequence type (ST)8-carrying SCC type IV (ST8-MRSA-IV) and clonal complex 1-carrying SCC type IV (CC1-MRSA-IV). However, detailed patient characteristics and how these MRSA types evolve over time remain largely unknown. In this long-term single-center study, MRSA strains isolated from blood cultures at Nagasaki University Hospital from 2012 to 2019 were sequenced and analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a retrovirus, integrates into host DNA and causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) in some individuals. Two types of defective proviruses, Type 1 and Type 2, are often observed in ATL cells. Here, we developed a 3-plex digital PCR (dPCR) method to detect HTLV-1 proviral deletions by comparing the ratios of copy numbers quantified using specific primer-probes for the LTR, pol, and pX regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
August 2024
The magnitude of the effect of human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) infection on uveitis remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a highly endemic area of HTLV-1 in Japan. The study included 4265 residents (men, 39.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection, is a malignant hematologic cancer that remains difficult to cure. We herein established a biomarker identification strategy based on the total cell proteomics of cultured ATL cells to search for novel ATL biomarkers. Four protocols with a combination of selected conditions based on lysis buffers and addition agents for total cell proteomics were used for a differential analysis between the ATL cell group (consisting of 11 cell lines), HTLV-1-infected cell group (consisting of 6 cell lines), and HTLV-1-negative cell group (consisting of 6 cell lines).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive T-cell malignancy with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1) is recognized to be involved in the pathobiology of ATLL. However, what molecules control PD-L1 expression and whether genetic or pharmacological intervention might modify PD-L1 expression in ATLL cells are still unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSaliva is a key component of mucosal immunity, which protects the oral cavity from viral infections. However, salivary immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in terms of immunoglobulin dynamics and recognition, have not been investigated sufficiently. In this study, saliva samples were collected from individuals that received SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA against whole spike protein and S1 protein were measured.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A test-based strategy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the measures to assess the need for isolation and prevention of infection. However, testing with high sensitivity methods, such as quantitative RT-PCR, leads to unnecessary isolation, whereas the lateral flow antigen test shows low sensitivity and false negative results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Ag test (Lumira Ag), a rapid microfluidic immunofluorescence method, in assessing infectivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATL) remains incurable. The NF-κB and interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) signalling pathways are among the critical survival pathways for the progression of ATL. TGF-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), an IκB kinase-activating kinase, triggers the activation of NF-κB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is one of the aggressive peripheral T-cell neoplasms with a poor prognosis. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that escape from adaptive immunity is a hallmark of ATLL pathogenesis. However, the mechanisms by which ATLL cells evade natural killer (NK)-cell-mediated immunity have been poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study investigated the diagnostic utility of the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel (PN panel), an automated and multiplexed nucleic acid detection system that rapidly detects 26 pathogens (18 bacteria and eight viruses) and seven antimicrobial resistance markers in a single assay.
Methods: We analyzed the targets in lower respiratory tract specimens using the PN panel and compared the detection results with those of bacterial culture methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Results: Of the 57 samples analyzed, the PN panel detected 97 targets (84 bacteria, four viruses, and nine antimicrobial resistance markers).
Both natural viral infections and therapeutic interventions using viral vectors pose significant risks of malignant transformation. Monitoring for clonal expansion of infected cells is important for detecting cancer. Here we developed a novel method of tracking clonality via the detection of transgene integration sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive T-cell malignancy with a poor prognosis with current therapy. Here we report genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening of ATLL models, which identified CDK6, CCND2, BATF3, JUNB, STAT3, and IL10RB as genes that are essential for the proliferation and/or survival of ATLL cells. As a single agent, the CDK6 inhibitor palbociclib induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in ATLL models with wild-type TP53.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: A few studies on antibody testing have focused on asymptomatic or mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with low initial anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody responses. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody-testing performance was evaluated using blood samples from asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 patients.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from 143 COVID-19 patients during an outbreak on a cruise ship 3 weeks after diagnosis.
Objectives: To perform surveillance of cfiA-positive Bacteroides fragilis using new subtyping software module, MALDI Biotyper Subtyping Module (MBT Subtyping Module), on MALDI-TOF MS system, and to evaluate the detection ability of the module.
Methods: cfiA-positive strains were presumed using the module against B. fragilis isolated between 2006 and 2019.