Changes in rapid plasma reagin titers in patients with syphilis before and after treatment: A retrospective cohort study in an HIV/AIDS referral hospital in Tokyo.

Introduction: Although the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test is used to determine treatment efficacy for syphilis, animal studies show that it decreases gradually after an initial increase even without treatment. Pre-treatment changes in RPR titer in humans and its relationship with post-treatment changes in RPR titer are not well known.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of syphilitic patients who underwent automated RPR (Mediace) testing twice before treatment (i.

Successful dual antiviral therapy with remdesivir and ensitrelvir in a case of prolonged COVID-19 following B-cell depleting immunotherapy for malignant lymphoma.

Prolonged COVID-19 following B-cell depleting immunotherapy for malignant lymphoma is characterized by repeated cycles of remission followed by symptom recurrence, persistent detection of SARS-CoV-2, and profound humoral immunodeficiency. To the best of our knowledge, the present report is the first to describe dual antiviral therapy with remdesivir and ensitrelvir for prolonged COVID-19 following B-cell depleting immunotherapy for malignant lymphoma. A 59-year-old, female patient with a history of follicular lymphoma treated with obinutuzumab and bendamustine contracted COVID-19 despite receiving a single course of standard remdesivir therapy.

Number of Patients with Influenza and COVID-19 Coinfection in a Single Japanese Hospital during the First Wave.

An individual may contract coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and influenza simultaneously; hence, adequate measures must be undertaken for the next winter in Japan. In preparation for the future, this study aimed to clarify the incidence of influenza coinfection in patients with COVID-19 during the previous winter. We conducted a retrospective study of the medical records of 193 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 31, 2020, and April 23, 2020, in a single hospital.

An analysis of the radiological factors associated with respiratory failure in COVID-19 pneumonia and the CT features among different age categories.

Purpose: To investigate CT patterns of COVID-19 pneumonia associated with respiratory failure (RF) focused on the distribution of lesions.

Materials And Methods: Eighty-five patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were reviewed. CT findings were classified as follows: Type A; patchy ground glass attenuation (GGA) with/without air-space consolidation, Type B; non-segmental GGA with/without air-space consolidation in both the central and peripheral lung portions especially with subpleural spare, and Type C; non-segmental GGA with/without air-space consolidation predominantly distributed in the peripheral lung portion without subpleural spare.

Prevalence of thromboembolic events and status of prophylactic anticoagulant therapy in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Japan.

Introduction: One of the most prominent and concerning complications associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is venous and arterial thromboembolisms. The aim of the present study was to delineate the prevalence of thromboembolic events and the current status of prophylactic anticoagulation therapy in patients with COVID-19 in Japan.

Methods: Between February 1 and August 31, 2020, we performed a dual-center, retrospective cohort study based on data obtained from the medical charts of COVID-19 patients admitted to healthcare facilities in Japan.

Development of a Risk Prediction Score to Identify High-Risk Groups for the Critical Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in mid-December 2019 and has rapidly spread worldwide. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from patients with COVID-19 to construct a simple risk prediction score to be implemented in prehospital settings. Patients were classified into critical and non-critical groups based on disease severity during hospitalization.

Clinical and pathological aspects of human immunodeficiency virus-associated plasmablastic lymphoma: analysis of 24 cases.

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare AIDS-related malignancy with a poor prognosis. Little is known about this entity, and no standard treatment regimen has been defined. To establish an adequate treatment strategy, we investigated 24 cases of PBL arising in human immunodeficiency virus-positive individuals.

[Squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal treated with chemoradiotherapy in a patient with HIV].

Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), the life expectancy has increased for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This has been associated with reductions in the incidences of some AIDS-defining malignancies, such as Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but has coincided with an increased incidence of non-AIDS-defining malignancies, such as anal cancer. However, anal cancers are rare in patients with HIV in Japan.

[A Case of Disseminated Mycobacterium genavense Infection in an AIDS Patient. A Case Report and a Review of the Literature].

A 44-year-old male, who was HIV seropositive, developped weight loss, high grade fever, and multiple lymphadenopathies. Bone marrow biopsy revealed a granuloma lesion, and at the same part of the specimen, Ziehl Neelsen staining showed multiple mycobacterium diffusely arranged in the histocytes. The culture did not show positive after 6 to 8 weeks.

Disease progression of HIV-1 infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic seroconverters in Osaka, Japan: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Estimates of the interval from HIV-1 infection to disease progression may be affected by selection bias, and data concerning asymptomatic early seroconverters are limited. We examined the interval until disease progression in HIV-1 seroconverters in whom the timing of infection could be estimated within 1 year before diagnosis.

Methods: Subjects included newly diagnosed patients at Osaka National Hospital between 2003 and 2010 who had either (1) symptomatic acute HIV-1 infection with a negative or intermediate reaction on Western blotting and a positive reaction on an HIV RNA test (symptomatic acute group) or (2) a positive reaction on Western blotting at diagnosis and a <1-year interval from the last negative HIV test until the first positive test.

Rapid multiorgan failure due to large B-cell lymphoma arising in human herpesvirus-8-associated multicentric Castleman's disease in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

A 46-year-old man presented with a high-grade fever, multiple lymphadenopathies, hepatosplenomegaly and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity, without severe immunosuppression. We suspected human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8)-associated multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) based on the results of a physical examination and laboratory investigations, including bone marrow aspiration. However, the patient died eight days after admission due to multiorgan failure.

A case of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension associated with anti-retroviral therapy in a Japanese patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The diagnosis of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (NCPH), a rare but potentially life-threatening complication in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals, often occurs only after the emergence of fatal manifestations such as bleeding of esophageal varices. We herein report a female Japanese HIV patient who developed NCPH approximately 4 years after discontinuation of 65 months of didanosine (ddI) administration. The patient presented with severe ascites, bloody bowel discharge, extreme abdominal swelling, and symptoms of portal hypertension but no sign of liver cirrhosis.

Classification of AIDS-related lymphoma cases between 1987 and 2012 in Japan based on the WHO classification of lymphomas, fourth edition.

The introduction of combined antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced the mortality of patients with human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection worldwide. However, malignant lymphoma is a severe and frequent complication seen in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The diagnostic criteria for some categories of AIDS-related lymphoma were revised in the World Health Organization International Classification of Lymphoma, fourth edition.

Evaluation of VZV-specific cell-mediated immunity in adults infected with HIV-1 by using a simple IFN-γ release assay.

The development of herpes zoster is associated with reduced varicella zoster virus (VZV)-specific cell-mediated immune (CMI) reactions. In this study, VZV-specific CMI reactions in 42 anti-VZV-IgG antibody-positive adults infected with HIV-1 were evaluated by measuring the IFN-γ production levels in whole blood in response to stimulation with ultraviolet light-inactivated live attenuated VZV vaccine. The median VZV-specific IFN-γ production level in all patients was 63 pg/ml.

Increase in serum mitochondrial creatine kinase levels induced by tenofovir administration.

Recently, 2 monoclonal antibodies that specifically inhibit mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK) activity have been developed. In this study, we measured the serum MtCK activity in HIV-1-infected individuals (n = 100) by employing a novel method using these antibodies. The mean serum MtCK activity in 44 patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) including tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) was 16.

Assessing recovery of renal function after tenofovir disoproxil fumarate discontinuation.

Impaired renal function caused by tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is considered reversible by discontinuing TDF administration, but there are occasional cases of incomplete recovery. We investigated the recovery of renal function after the discontinuation of TDF. Subjects comprised patients who had been started on TDF but in whom it was later discontinued because of impaired renal function.

[Successful completion of left total hip arthroplasty by inhibitor neutralization therapy in a hemophilia B patient with high responding inhibitor].

Major surgery in hemophilia patients has been facilitated by the development of coagulation concentrates. However, it is still difficult to manage bleeding during major surgery in patients with inhibitors to FVIII/IX. In addition, there have been few reports of major surgery in hemophilia B with high responding inhibitors.

Cellular HIV-1 DNA levels in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy strongly correlate with therapy initiation timing but not with therapy duration.

Background: Viral reservoir size refers to cellular human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) DNA levels in CD4(+) T lymphocytes of peripheral blood obtained from patients with plasma HIV-1-RNA levels (viral load, VL) maintained below the detection limit by antiretroviral therapy (ART). We measured HIV-1 DNA levels in CD4(+) lymphocytes in such patients to investigate their clinical significance.

Methods: CD4(+) T lymphocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood of 61 patients with a VL maintained at less than 50 copies/ml for at least 4 months by ART and total DNA was purified.

[A diagnosed, cured case of an HIV-infected Japanese subject developing disseminated penicilliosis after Thailand travel].

Disseminated penicilliosis-an AIDS-indicator disease in Southeast Asian countries -but not Japan- is a systemic fungal infection caused by Penicillium marneffei. A 30-year-old HIV-positive Japanese man visiting Southeast Asia three months before admission and reporting fever, general fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes lasting over one month was admitted for detailed tests. Blood culture and fine-needle aspiration lymph node biopsy a led to a diagnosis of disseminated penicillioisis, later cured by several anti-fungal agents.

Sustained high levels of serum interferon-γ during HIV-1 infection: a specific trend different from other cytokines.

The expression levels of various cytokines increase with the progression of HIV-1 infection. However, the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on serum cytokine levels have not been fully determined. In this study we measured serum cytokine levels of 35 HIV-1-infected Japanese adults.