Left Main Coronary Artery Ostial Stenosis Caused by Syphilitic Aortitis Presenting With Syncope.

A 51-year-old man with a history of antibiotic therapy for syphilis 1 month ago presented with syncope. Computed tomography revealed circumferential aortic wall thickening complicating severe stenosis of left main coronary ostium. Abnormalities in serologic and cerebrospinal fluid tests led to the diagnosis of syphilitic aortitis and neurosyphilis.

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.

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.

Helicobacter cinaedi Infections in Emergency Departments: A Descriptive Study.

Aim: , a Gram-negative spiral bacterium, is a rare cause of bacteremia in humans. Unfortunately, little is known about infections in emergency departments (EDs). We aimed to describe the clinical features of infections in the ED.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Elevation of CSF adenosine deaminase in HIV patient with meningitis from retroviral rebound syndrome, a case report.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is considered to be a useful biomarker in differentiating tuberculous meningitis (TBM) from other meningitis in non-HIV patients. However, its specificity decreases in patients with HIV, and other diseases such as cytomegalovirus encephalitis, toxoplasmosis or meningeal lymphomatosis can also elevate ADA in CSF. We here report a rare case of retroviral rebound syndrome in a HIV patient, whose ADA in CSF was elevated.

Interstitial nephritis caused by HIV infection by itself: a case report.

Interstitial nephritis is a common cause of renal dysfunction. It is primarily caused by drugs, infections, or autoimmune disorders. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can develop interstitial nephritis, although it typically occurs because of the aforementioned etiologies and not as a direct consequence of HIV infection.

A Japanese patient with a rare case of Streptobacillus moniliformis bacteremia.

Streptobacillus moniliformis is the etiological agent of rat-bite fever, a rare disease in Asia that is difficult to diagnose. We describe an elderly patient living in rat-infested conditions who presented with severe sepsis. He was successfully treated with meropenem, and blood culture revealed infection with S.

[Usefulness of AccuSign in emergency room].

Background: TriageDOA is effective for screening patients with methamphetamine intoxication, but false positives also sometimes occur. A definite diagnosis is made by performing an instrumental analysis for methamphetamine intoxication, but this is difficult to conduct in general hospitals. AccuSign using immunochromatography can identify methamphetamine (MET) and amphetamine (AMP) individually.

Comparison of preventive effect on cardiovascular events with different statins. -The CIRCLE study-.

Background: Although statins vary in their effectiveness in lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, there is little evidence that the degree of these changes can explain cardiac risk reduction in Japan. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of statins on serum lipid levels and to explore the association between those changes and cardiac events in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods And Results: The 743 consecutive patients who underwent PCI from 2001 to 2008 were retrospectively investigated.

A fatal case of myocardial damage due to misuse of the "designer drug" MDMA.

A 39-year-old woman collapsed after oral intake of 3,4-methylenedioxymethyl-amphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy"). After ingestion of the drug, she had felt persistent discomfort in her anterior chest area, and lost consciousness for a few minutes on the following morning. She was transported to a hospital and died seven days after collapse.

Radiation dose reduction and coronary assessability of prospective electrocardiogram-gated computed tomography coronary angiography: comparison with retrospective electrocardiogram-gated helical scan.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate radiation dose and coronary assessability of a prospective electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated scan by 64-slice multidetector (row) computed tomography (MDCT)-coronary angiography (CA) compared with a retrospective ECG-gated helical scan.

Background: The 64-slice MDCT-CA has been widely used; however, a high radiation dose by 64-slice MDCT-CA has been reported. Prospective ECG-gated scan using "step-and-shoot" protocol can reduce radiation exposure effectively.

In vitro expansion of mature neutrophils from isolated peripheral blood stem cells.

Hematopoietic stem cells, CD34 positive cells, were isolated from the peripheral blood of three patients with malignant lymphoma, and were cultivated in suspension for 14 days in the presence of cytokines, including granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-3 and stem cell factor. The stimulation of cell proliferation and differentiation into mature neutrophils was most effective when all these cytokines were used in combination. Mature neutrophils differentiated in vitro gained the ability to ingest latex spheres and to produce hydrogen peroxide in response to phorbol myristate acetate.

Difference in pattern of erythropoietin response between beta-thalassemia/hemoglobin E children and adults.

Thalassemia is one of the most common genetic disorders in Thailand. The thalassemic patients have many pathophysiologic changes secondary to chronic anemia. During these last few years there have been many trials to cure or improve the anemic condition in thalassemia by using various agents, including erythropoietin (EPO).

[Detected Epstein-Barr virus genome using polymerase chain reaction in peripheral mononuclear cells--subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis].

A 23-year old woman was admitted to our hospital because of fever, leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia and cervical lymphadenopathy. From pathological findings of the cervical lymphnode she was diagnosed as subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis (SNL). Bone marrow aspiration was hypocellular with proliferation of mature histiocytes with hemophagocytosis.

[Extramedullary blastic crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia--a case with various additional chromosomal appearance].

We describe a characteristic case of chromosomal abnormalities in a 47-year-old man with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). He had been diagnosed with the chronic phase of CML on May 1990, but he refused treatment. He was readmitted in October 1991 because of peripheral lymphadenopathy.