Clinical and Radiological Characterization of Central Nervous System Involvement in Nocardiosis: A 20-Year Experience.

Background This study aimed to present the clinical and radiological characteristics and the outcomes of patients with infection of the central nervous system (CNS). Methodology We conducted a retrospective review of patients aged 18 and older admitted between August 1998 and November 2018 with culture-proven nocardiosis and CNS involvement. Results Out of 110 patients with nocardiosis, 14 (12.

Invasive Nocardia Infections across Distinct Geographic Regions, United States.

We reviewed invasive infections in 3 noncontiguous geographic areas in the United States during 2011–2018. Among 268 patients with invasive nocardiosis, 48.2% were from Minnesota, 32.

Synthesis of tertiary alkylphosphonate oligonucleotides through light-driven radical-polar crossover reactions.

Chemical modification of nucleotides can improve the metabolic stability and target specificity of oligonucleotide therapeutics, and alkylphosphonates have been employed as charge-neutral replacements for naturally-occurring phosphodiester backbones in these compounds. However, at present, the alkyl moieties that can be attached to phosphorus atoms in these compounds are limited to methyl groups or primary/secondary alkyls, and such alkylphosphonate moieties can degrade during oligonucleotide synthesis. The present work demonstrates the tertiary alkylation of the phosphorus atoms of phosphites bearing two 2'-deoxynuclosides.

Classification of fungal genera from microscopic images using artificial intelligence.

Microscopic image examination is fundamental to clinical microbiology and often used as the first step to diagnose fungal infections. In this study, we present classification of pathogenic fungi from microscopic images using deep convolutional neural networks (CNN). We trained well-known CNN architectures such as DenseNet, Inception ResNet, InceptionV3, Xception, ResNet50, VGG16, and VGG19 to identify fungal species, and compared their performances.

Invasive Nocardiosis Versus Colonization at a Tertiary Care Center: Clinical and Radiological Characteristics.

Objective: To describe the clinical and radiographic findings in a large cohort of patients with positive cultures for emphasizing the differences between invasive disease and colonization.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 133 patients with a positive isolate between August 1, 1998, and November 30, 2018, and a computed tomography (CT) of the chest within 30 days before or after the bacteria isolation date.

Results: Patients with colonization were older (71 vs 65 years; =.

Effects of short-term treatment with vibegron for refractory nocturnal enuresis.

Background: Long-term nocturnal enuresis treatment leads to stress and lowered self-esteem for children and their parents. This study evaluated the short-term effectiveness and safety of vibegron (50 mg) for children with refractory nocturnal enuresis.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of children with therapy-resistant enuresis was conducted using data for July to December 2019.

High moisture confluence in Japan Sea polar air mass convergence zone captured by hourly radiosonde launches from a ship.

Some of the heaviest snowfalls in urban areas in the world occur in Japan, particularly in regions that face the Japan Sea. Many heavy snowfalls are produced by a Japan Sea polar air mass convergence zone (JPCZ), which is an atmospheric river-like cloud zone that forms when Siberian cold air flows over the warm Japan Sea. Quantifying how the air-sea interaction strengthens the JPCZ is key to snowfall prediction.

Pulse-to-pulse detection of terahertz radiation emitted from the femtosecond laser ablation process.

Determining the dynamics of electrons and ions emitted from a target material during laser ablation is crucial for desirable control of laser processing. However, these dynamics are still challenging to understand because of a lack of ubiquitous spectroscopic tools to observe tangled-up dynamics appearing at ultrafast timescales. Here by harnessing highly sensitive single-shot terahertz time-domain spectroscopy using an echelon mirror, we investigate pulse-to-pulse temporal profile of terahertz radiation generated from the material surface.

Use of Self-Collected Saliva Samples for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Objective: Using a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method, we examined the analytic performance accuracy of saliva specimens as compared to nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens in symptomatic patients. Correlation between test results and symptoms was also evaluated.

Methods: Over a 5-week period in 2020, 89 matched saliva and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from individuals exhibiting symptoms consistent with SARS-CoV-2.

Performance Accuracy of a Laboratory-Developed Real-Time RT-PCR Method for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Self-Collected Saliva Specimens.

Objective: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has challenged diagnostic laboratories to re-examine traditional methods for collecting specimens and sample types used in molecular testing. Our goal was to demonstrate that saliva can be used for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and correlates well with established molecular methods using nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs.

Methods: We examined use of a saliva collection device in conjunction with a laboratory-developed real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (LDPCR) method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in a symptomatic population and compared results with 2 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved methods (emergency use authorization [EUA]) that use specimens from NP swabs.

The first case of bacteremia in an adult.

The species are Gram positive, coryneform bacteria that belong to the Actinobacteria phylum and have been linked to bacteremia in immunocompromised children. We present the first documented adult case of bacteremia. The patient was a 52-year-old woman with a history of recurrent infection, sinus tachycardia and high-risk AML who had been admitted one month prior to presentation for matched unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplant with reduced intensity fludarabine-melphalan.

Reduction in Health Care Facility-Onset Infection: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Objective: To reduce health care facility-onset (HCFO) infection (CDI) incidence by improving diagnostic stewardship and reducing the inappropriate testing of assays.

Patients And Methods: A multidisciplinary team conducted a quality improvement initiative from January 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021. infection and inappropriate testing were identified via electronic health records using predefined criteria related to stool quantity/caliber, confounding medications, and laboratory data.

Invasive Nocardiosis in Transplant and Nontransplant Patients: 20-Year Experience in a Tertiary Care Center.

Objective: To present the clinical characteristics and outcome of transplant and nontransplant patients with invasive nocardiosis.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 110 patients 18 years and older diagnosed with culture-proven (defined as the presence of clinical signs and/or radiographic abnormalities) between August 1, 1998, and November 30, 2018. Information on demographic, clinical, radiographic, and microbiological characteristics as well as mortality was collected.

High-throughput terahertz spectral line imaging using an echelon mirror.

This work demonstrates terahertz (THz) line imaging that acquires broadband spectral information by combining echelon-based single-shot THz spectroscopy with high-sensitivity phase-offset electrooptic detection. An approximately 40 dB signal-to-noise ratio is obtained for a THz spectrum from a single line of the camera, with a detection bandwidth up to 2 THz at the peak electric-field strength of 1.2 kV/cm.

Early therapy with corticosteroid and surfactant for acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants: Two case reports.

Rationale: Acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (AIPH) in infants is a rare condition, and a clear treatment protocol has not yet been established.

Patient Concerns: We report 2 infant cases of AIPH in a 3-month-old male and a 1-month-old female, who presented at an emergency room with epistaxis and respiratory distress. Both were immediately intubated, which revealed a bloody intratracheal aspirate.

Management of a case of transient neonatal diabetes mellitus using continuous glucose monitoring.

Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a very rare disorder and its diagnosis can be challenging especially in mild and transient cases. Herein, we describe a 2.4-kg female infant born at 38 wk of gestation who showed hyperglycemia (388 mg/dL) on Day 1.

Colonic Perforation in a Term Newborn with Hereditary Protein C Deficiency.

We describe a term infant who experienced recurrent apnea associated with intracranial hemorrhage and later, developed colonic perforation. Plasma protein C activity was below detectable limits and a heterozygous PROC mutation was identified. Neonatal colonic perforation is rare, and this case report highlights the importance of considering congenital Protein C deficiency.

Successful Conservative Treatment of Mycotic Pulmonary Artery Aneurysms Caused by MRSA Bacteremia.

Mycotic pulmonary artery aneurysms (MPAAs) are rare and life-threatening with currently no recommended treatment strategies. In this report, we describe a successfully treated case of ventricular septal defect in an 11-month-old girl who developed bacteremia, infective endocarditis, and MPAA caused by methicillin-resistant (MRSA). We first started vancomycin, gentamycin, and panipenem-betamipron for infective endocarditis but switched to teicoplanin and arbekacin on day 3 after initiating treatment because bacteremia persisted, and vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration was relatively high at 2 mg/L.