Clinical course of bacteremia from acute onset to life crisis.

bacteremia can present without signs of sepsis just after onset. For patients with fever, discerning the history of an animal bite is crucial. If it is positive for a dog bite, antibiotic treatment should be started.

Reconstructed Dynamics of the Imaging Photoplethysmogram.

Human photoplethysmogram (PPG) is one of the signals widely applied for health monitoring. Development of the new techniques made possible evolution of traditional contact PPG which was measured at red and near-infrared light (NIR) to the contactless, imaging PPG (iPPG) that can be recorded at various light wavelengths, including ambient visible light. However, despite the numerous advantages of iPPG its applications demonstrated so far are quite limited.

Antimicrobial stewardship without infectious disease physician for patients with candidemia: A before and after study.

Background: Little is known about the effects of antimicrobial stewardship team (AST) without infectious disease physician (IDP) on clinical outcome in patients with candidemia.

Methods: We conducted a before and after study involving patients with hospital-acquired candidemia at a tertiary hospital without IDPs. The AST consisted of physicians, pharmacists, nurse, microbiologist, and administrative staff.

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for blunt cardiac rupture.

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) followed by operating room sternotomy, rather than resuscitative thoracotomy, might be life-saving for patients with blunt cardiac rupture and cardiac arrest who do not have multiple severe traumatic injuries. A 49-year-old man was injured in a vehicle crash and transferred to the emergency department. On admission, he was hemodynamically stable, but a plain chest radiograph revealed a widened mediastinum, and echocardiography revealed hemopericardium.

Toward the rational use of standardized infection ratios to benchmark surgical site infections.

Background: The National Healthcare Safety Network transitioned from surgical site infection (SSI) rates to the standardized infection ratio (SIR) calculated by statistical models that included perioperative factors (surgical approach and surgery duration). Rationally, however, only patient-related variables should be included in the SIR model.

Methods: Logistic regression was performed to predict expected SSI rate in 2 models that included or excluded perioperative factors.

A compact, automated cell culture system for clinical scale cell expansion from primary tissues.

Despite the growing number of clinically practical automated cell culture systems, demand is also increasing for more compact platforms with greater capabilities to prepare primary cells directly from patient tissue. Here we report the development of an automated cell culture system that is also compact. The machinery consisted of a supply unit, an incubation unit, and a collection unit, which fit within a 70 cm x 60 cm x 86 cm space.

Recovery process of sciatic nerve defect with novel bioabsorbable collagen tubes packed with collagen filaments in dogs.

Autologous nerve graft is the most commonly applied treatment for the patients with peripheral nerve defect, while application is limited because of tissue availability and unfavorable donor site morbidity. To overcome this problem, peripheral nerve regeneration using a nerve conduit has been studied. Especially, nerve conduit using biodegradable materials has been considered promising.

Composite implantation of mesenchymal stem cells with endothelial progenitor cells enhances tissue-engineered bone formation.

For successful tissue engineering, neovascularization of the implanted tissue is critical. Factors generated by endothelial cells are also considered crucial for the process of osteogenesis. The direct effects of supplementing tissue engineered constructs with cultured endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) for enhancing bone regeneration have not been reported.

Cryopreservation of cultured periosteum: effect of different cryoprotectants and pre-incubation protocols on cell viability and osteogenic potential.

Evidence has accumulated that periosteal cells have a great potential to regenerate bone. We have demonstrated that cultured periosteum (CP) in membrane form is an effective device to regenerate alveolar bone. To increase the availability of CP in a clinical environment, an effective cryopreservation protocol for CP has been developed.

Ultrasound enhances transforming growth factor beta-mediated chondrocyte differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.

In clinical studies and animal models, low-intensity ultrasound (US) promotes fracture repair and increases mechanical strength. US also promotes cartilage healing by increasing glycosaminoglycan synthesis of chondrocytes. As mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to differentiate into chondrocytes, US may promote their differentiation.

The effect of the long-term cultivation on telomere length and morphology of cultured epidermis.

Background: Cultured epidermis has been successfully used in clinical treatment such as burns and pigmentary disorders. Although the generation of wide cultured epidermis for clinical use may require repeated passages, especially for allografts, the effects of long-term cultivation on its quality and cell viability are not well known.

Objectives: To investigate the changes in morphology, telomere length, and telomerase activity during the passages of cultured epidermis and keratinocytes up to the passage limit, and to examine the usefulness of telomere length as a performance criterion for cultured epidermis.

Protective effect of colored rice over white rice on Fenton reaction-based renal lipid peroxidation in rats.

Rice has been one of the most important grains. While polished white rice is favored, colored strains of rice, red, or black, have been maintained for religious purposes in Japan. We studied whether feeding of unpolished colored rice instead of white rice ameliorates oxidative renal tubular damage in rats induced by ferric nitrilotriacetate.

Tissue-engineered bone using mesenchymal stem cells and a biodegradable scaffold.

Bone marrow has been shown to contain a population of rare cells capable of differentiating to the cells that form various tissues. These cells, referred to as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are capable of forming bone when implanted ectopically in an appropriate scaffold. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of a new beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) as a scaffold and to compare the osteogenic potential between beta-TCP and hydroxyapatite (HA).