Publications by authors named "Koga P"

Article Synopsis
  • Infectious meningoencephalitis is a serious condition causing inflammation in the brain, and the FilmArray panel offers quick testing for 14 pathogens associated with it.
  • The study aimed to evaluate how effective this panel is when implemented in a hospital setting by comparing its results with other clinical and laboratory data.
  • Out of 496 samples tested, 17.75% were positive for pathogens, primarily viruses, but many retests showed inconsistencies, with 80% of initially positive results being non-reproducible, raising questions about the reliability of the panel's findings in certain cases.
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This study evaluated the BD Veritor system for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2, an immunochromatographic point-of-care test, by comparing it with a standard reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) methodology using samples from symptomatic patients. Samples from 146 symptomatic and 2 asymptomatic patients between the 1st and the 40th day of infection were evaluated. The nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal swabs were inserted in a tube containing 0.

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Background: Healthcare-associated infections by carbapenem-resistant are difficult to control. Virulence and antibiotic resistance genes contribute to infection, but the mechanisms associated with the transition from colonization to infection remain unclear.

Objective: We investigated the transition from carriage to infection by isolates carrying the carbapenemase-encoding gene (KpKPC).

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Background: COVID-19 patients on mechanical ventilation are at risk to develop invasive aspergillosis. To provide additional data regarding this intriguing entity, we conducted a retrospective study describing risk factors, radiology and prognosis of this emerging entity in a Brazilian referral centre.

Methods: This retrospective study included intubated (≥18 years) patients with COVID-19 admitted from April 2020 until July 2021 that had bronchoscopy to investigate pulmonary co-infections.

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This study examined the prevalence and social-ecological correlates of male-to-female intimate partner violence (IPV) in Afghanistan. Using data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey, which included 20,793 currently married women, we found that the past-year prevalence of physical IPV was highest (46%), followed by emotional (34%) and sexual forms (6%). Results also showed that the risk of IPV in general was associated with an array of community and societal-, family and relationship-, and person-level factors.

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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the social factors that contribute to the mental health challenges that Somali young adults endure.

Design: In a two-phase qualitative approach carried-out in the San Diego area, in phase-I, we conducted exploratory interviews with key-informants including clinicians and local Somali leaders ( = 7) who are familiar with the challenges of young Somalis. This information was then augmented through a focus group discussion with Somali young adults ( = 4) to gain further contextual knowledge and for access to the larger community of young people for phase-II.

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carbapenemase (KPC) actively hydrolyzes carbapenems, antibiotics often used a last-line treatment for multidrug-resistant bacteria. KPC clinical relevance resides in its widespread dissemination. In this work, we report the genomic context of KPC coding genes , and in multidrug-resistant isolates from Brazil.

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Clostridioides difficile infection is a public health problem because of it is easily spread; with harmful consequences, it is essential to reduce hospital costs and prevent its dissemination by having a precise diagnosis. The gold standard for its diagnosis is polymerase chain reaction (PCR); however, the technique is not available for all laboratories due to the high cost. New approaches using non-molecular tests to detect C.

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The global refugee crisis is at its most critical state in history; Syria alone has produced 12 million internally displaced persons, with another 5 million refugees seeking protection across the globe. Faced with the heavy burden of mental distress carried by a massive refugee influx, many host nations lack the service capacity to respond adequately. While mobile mental health (mMHealth) applications and platforms have the potential to augment screenings and interventions for vulnerable populations, an insufficient gender and cultural adaptation of technology may drastically hamper its uptake in Arab refugees.

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Bacterial resistance is a severe threat to global public health. Exposure to sub-lethal concentrations has been considered a major driver of mutagenesis leading to antibiotic resistance in clinical settings. Ciprofloxacin is broadly used to treat infections caused by , whereas increased mutagenesis induced by sub-lethal concentrations of ciprofloxacin has been reported for the reference strain, PAO1, .

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Background: In Turkey, almost every 4 out of 10 married women have been subjected to physical abuse by their spouses. Although studies on the prevalence of domestic violence in Turkey abound, little has been published about first responders' attitudes and behaviors towards violence against women and on sexism.

Objective: Our study examined the attitudes and behaviors of Erzurum City medical emergency services workers towards violence against women, and their relationship with sexist attitudes.

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen in hospitals, responsible for various infections that are difficult to treat due to intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance. Here, 20 epidemiologically unrelated strains isolated from patients in a general hospital over a time period of two decades were analyzed using whole genome sequencing. The genomes were compared in order to assess the presence of a predominant clone or sequence type (ST).

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Background: An increased incidence of fungal infections caused by Candida species, especially Candida glabrata and Candida krusei, which are less susceptible to azoles, has been observed. Standardized susceptibility testing is essential for clinical management and for monitoring the epidemiology of resistance.

Aims: We evaluated the performance of two different susceptibility testing commercial methods, Vitek 2 and Sensititre YeastOne, and compared them with the standard broth microdilution method (CLSI).

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Background: We examined the mental health status and severity of psychological distress symptoms among young adults residing in Kabul, Afghanistan and determined how such outcomes might be influenced by an array of risk and protective factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted using convenience, snowball, and street-intercept recruitment techniques. Surveys were completed by 232 young adults between 18 and 35 years of age in September 2015.

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There is insufficient empirical evidence on the correlates of health care utilization of irregular migrants currently living in Turkey. The aim of this study was to identify individual level determinants associated with health service and medication use. One hundred and fifty-five Afghans completed surveys assessing service utilization including encounters with primary care physicians and outpatient specialists in addition to the use of prescription and nonprescription medicines.

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Recent studies have emphasized the influence of resettlement factors on the mental health of refugees resettling in developed countries. However, little research has addressed gender differences in the nature and influence of resettlement stressors and sources of resilience. We address this gap in knowledge by investigating how gender moderates and mediates the influence of several sources of distress and resilience among 259 Afghan refugees residing in Northern California (USA).

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We evaluated a new phenotypic test for carbapenemase detection. A total of 100 Enterobacteriaceae isolates were selected. The test was compared with conventional PCR for bla(KPC) and bla(NDM) detection.

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Objectives: To examine the spatial distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae and its clonal patterns collected between 2002 and 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: As part of an observational study in São Paulo city, Brazil, S. pneumoniae isolates routinely cultured from blood, respiratory specimens, or cerebrospinal and other profound fluids were selected.

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Aims: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) against intimin in the detection of enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli isolates using immunoblotting.

Methods And Results: Polyclonal and Mabs against the intimin-conserved region were raised, and their reactivities were compared in enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterohaemorrhagic E.

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Meropenem and imipenem are often the drugs of choice for the treatment of infections due to multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. The present study aimed at evaluating the interaction between meropenem and sulbactam through microdilution and checkerboard methods against 48 clinical isolates of A. baumannii collected from Brazilian hospitals.

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Escherichia coli producing heat-labile enterotoxin is responsible for numerous cases of diarrhea worldwide, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality. The B subunits of this toxin are responsible for the binding to the receptor, the complex ganglioside GM1 which has galactose as its terminal sugar. In this study we showed that analogs of galactose (gal) and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) interfere with the binding of heat-labile toxin to GM1.

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Treatment of [3H]arachidonic acid ([3H]C20:4)-labeled, antibody-sensitized mouse resident peritoneal macrophages with rabbit serum complement, or C6-deficient rabbit serum + C6, caused hydrolytic release of incorporated [3H]C20:4 from phospholipids, followed by conversion to oxygenated derivatives. The C6 dose-response curve for release of C20:4 plus its metabolites was monotonic, which indicates dependence on channel formation, whereas the dose-response curve for lysis displayed multi-hit behavior. High-performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that the major radiolabeled products in the aqueous phase co-eluted with C20:4, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha), and prostaglandin E2.

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