Clinical perspectives of Treponema pallidum subsp. Endemicum infection in adults, particularly men who have sex with men in the Kansai area, Japan: A case series.

Bejel, caused by Treponema pallidum subsp. Endemicum (TEN), is a locally transmitted disease among children and juveniles in hot and dry regions. The number of adult cases of TEN infection outside of endemic areas has recently increased.

Rapid multiplex PCR assay for simultaneous detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis in genitourinary samples: A 30-minute assay.

We developed a rapid multiplex PCR assay available in bedside for the simultaneous detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, which enables diagnosis in less than 30 minutes. In this study, we validated the clinical utility of this assay including its sensitivity and specificity for NG and CT detection.

Characterization of 2 Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains With High-Level Azithromycin Resistance Isolated in 2015 and 2018 in Japan.

We identified and characterized the first 2 Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with high-level azithromycin resistance isolated in Japan. These were in the clade of ceftriaxone- and azithromycin-resistant strains isolated in Australia and the United Kingdom. The multilocus sequence typing, N.

First isolation of human adenovirus type 85 by molecular analysis of adenoviruses in cases of urethritis.

Human adenovirus (HAdV) has been reported as a potential cause of sexually transmitted urethritis. We aimed to investigate HAdVs associated with urethritis in Osaka, Japan through molecular characterization. Urine samples were obtained from male patients with urethritis from 2015 to 2018.

Bejel, a Nonvenereal Treponematosis, among Men Who Have Sex with Men, Japan.

Bejel, an endemic treponematosis caused by infection with Treponema pallidum subspecies endemicum, has not been reported in eastern Asia and the Pacific region. We report local spread of bejel among men who have sex with men in Japan. Spread was complicated by venereal syphilis.

Clonal expansion and spread of the ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain FC428, identified in Japan in 2015, and closely related isolates.

Objectives: Ceftriaxone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major public health concern globally because a high-dose (1 g) injection of ceftriaxone is the only remaining option for empirical monotherapy of gonorrhoea. The ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal strain FC428, cultured in Osaka in 2015, is suspected to have spread nationally and internationally. We describe the complete finished genomes of FC428 and two closely related isolates from Osaka in 2015, and examine the genomic epidemiology of these isolates plus three ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal isolates from Osaka and Hyogo in 2016-17 and four ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal isolates cultured in 2017 in Australia, Canada and Denmark.

Mutations in ParC and GyrA of moxifloxacin-resistant and susceptible Mycoplasma genitalium strains.

Macrolide or fluoroquinolone-resistant Mycoplasma genitalium is spreading worldwide. We aimed to determine the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the quinolone resistance determining regions (QRDR) of parC and gyrA in cultured M. genitalium strains.

The detection of microorganisms related to urethritis from the oral cavity of male patients with urethritis.

Objectives: To investigate the presence of microorganisms related to urethritis in the oral cavity of male patients with urethritis and the efficacies of antimicrobials for urethritis on microorganisms in the oral cavity.

Methods: Ninety-two male patients with urethritis and 17 male controls participated to this study at 12 urology clinics in Japan between March 2014 and March 2015. The first voided urine (FVU) and oral wash fluid (OWF) specimens were collected from the participants.

New Ceftriaxone- and Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strain with a Novel Mosaic penA Gene Isolated in Japan.

We have characterized in detail a new ceftriaxone- and multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain (FC428) isolated in Japan in 2015. FC428 differed from previous ceftriaxone-resistant strains and contained a novel mosaic penA allele encoding a new mosaic penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP 2). However, the resistance-determining 3'-terminal region of penA was almost identical to the regions of two previously reported ceftriaxone-resistant strains from Australia and Japan, indicating that both ceftriaxone-resistant strains and conserved ceftriaxone resistance-determining PBP 2 regions might spread.

Identification of Novel Recombinant Forms of Hepatitis B Virus Generated from Genotypes Ae and G in HIV-1-Positive Japanese Men Who Have Sex with Men.

The rare hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype G (HBV/G) coinfects HIV-1-positive individuals along with HBV/A and generates recombinants. However, the circulation of HBV A/G recombinants remains poorly understood. This molecular epidemiologic study examined HBV A/G recombinants in Japanese HIV-1-positive men who have sex with men (MSM).

Treatment failure with 2 g of azithromycin (extended-release formulation) in gonorrhoea in Japan caused by the international multidrug-resistant ST1407 strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major public health concern globally. We report the first verified treatment failure of gonorrhoea with 2 g of azithromycin (extended-release formulation) in Japan and characteristics of the corresponding N. gonorrhoeae isolates.

Feasibility and safety of a virtual 3-Fr sheathless-guiding system for percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a virtual 3-Fr system [5-Fr sheathless-guiding catheter (GC)] for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: The use of miniaturized devices for PCI is gaining popularity because of increased patient comfort and decreased risk of access site complications.

Methods: From July 2010 to December 2012, consecutive patients who underwent elective PCI (planned or ad hoc PCI) at our hospital were enrolled.

Cytological evaluation using liquid-based cytology in the male urogenital tract infected with human papillomavirus.

This study was performed to determine the associations between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cytological changes in the male glans and urethral samples. Two rubbed samples of the glans and distal urethra were collected from 160 patients with urethritis, and the collected cells were placed into preservative solution for liquid-based cytology. DNA was extracted from all samples, and β-globin gene amplification, HPV-DNA test, and HPV genotyping were performed.

Transcollateral retrograde approach with rendezvous technique for recanalization of chronically occluded tibial arteries.

Purpose: To describe a novel technique using an antegrade wire in a retrograde microcatheter advanced through a transcollateral vessel for recanalization of challenging infrapopliteal chronic total occlusions.

Technique: A 75-year-old diabetic man presented with critical limb ischemia manifested as nonhealing ulcers on the toes. Baseline angiography revealed a blunt, long, total occlusion of the anterior tibial artery.

Liquid-based urine cytology as a tool for detection of human papillomavirus, Mycoplasma spp., and Ureaplasma spp. in men.

Liquid-based urine cytology (LB-URC) was evaluated for cytological diagnosis and detection of human papillomavirus (HPV), Mycoplasma, and Ureaplasma. Midstream urine samples were collected from 141 male patients with urethritis and 154 controls without urethritis, and sediment cells were preserved in liquid-based cytology solution. Urethral swabs from urethritis patients were tested for the presence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis.

Prevalence of genital Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, Gardnerella, and human papillomavirus in Japanese men with urethritis, and risk factors for detection of urethral human papillomavirus infection.

To analyze the risk factors for HPV infection in the urethra, we examined the prevalence of various microorganisms, for example Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Gardnerella vaginalis, and human papillomavirus (HPV) in Japanese male patients with urethritis, and investigated their sexual backgrounds. Rubbed samples obtained from the distal urethra and questionnaires regarding sexual activity and demographic information were collected from 176 participants. N.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in the urinary tract of men with urethritis.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the genital and urinary tract of men with urethritis.

Methods: Cell samples were collected from the penis, urethra and urine of 142 men with urethritis. A HPV test was performed on the samples using the modified GP5+/6+ polymerase chain reaction method, and the HPV genotype was determined using a HPV GenoArray test.

[Syphilis].

In Japan, the incidence of syphilis has decreased, and clinicians might be more likely to overlook syphilis than before. We show typical clinical manifestations and treatment of syphilis for clinicians unfamiliar with the disease and emphasize that two types of serologic test, non treponemal tests and specific treponemal tests, are essential for diagnosis of syphilis. Recent automated serologic tests for syphilis are useful to examine patients' progress after they are treated.

Roles of chymase in stenosis occurring after polytetrafluoroethylene graft implantations.

Chymase is an important enzyme for the generation of angiotensin (Ang) II and in the activation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1. Therefore, chymase may be involved in the hemodialysis access dysfunction, which is caused by intimal hyperplasia that occurs after polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft implantations. Bilateral U-shaped PTFE grafts were placed between the femoral vein and artery in dogs.

Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity by trandolapril after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

We investigated whether an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor could inhibit matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activities in cerebral infarct lesions after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. After placebo or trandolapril (5 mg/kg per day) was administered orally for 7 days, we permanently occluded the right middle cerebral artery. ACE activity in extracts from the infarct side of placebo-treated rats was significantly higher than that in extracts from the non-infarct side from 5 days after MCAO, though they did not differ at 1 day.

The significance of chymase in the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysms in dogs.

In this study, we investigated the effect of a specific chymase inhibitor, NK3201, in the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm in a dog experimental model. Abdominal aortic aneurysms were induced in dogs by injecting elastase into the abdominal aorta. NK3201 (1 mg/kg per day, p.

The effects of chymase on matrix metalloproteinase-2 activation in neointimal hyperplasia after balloon injury in dogs.

Chymase is known to generate angiotensin II in the vascular wall. In this study we investigated a novel role for chymase other than angiotensin II production in vascular proliferation after balloon injury. Chymase promoted the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells in the matrix-coated invasion chambers and activated promatrix metalloproteinase-2 obtained from the culture medium of vascular smooth muscle cells.