Solitary pulmonary caseating granulomas: A 5-year retrospective single-center analysis.

Solitary pulmonary caseating granulomas (SPCGs) are a characteristic type of tuberculomas associated with infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and other microbes; however, their significance remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with SPCGs in terms of diagnosis, presence of lung cancer and treatment status. A retrospective analysis of 17 immunocompetent patients with histopathologically confirmed caseating granulomas after undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was conducted at our center between 2011 and 2015.

A dielectric anomaly observed for doubly reduced mixed-valence polyoxometalate.

Benzimidazolium is revealed to form quasi-isostructural crystals of mixed-valence molecular metal oxides that consist of [PMoMoO] and fully oxidized [BWO]. The structure and dielectric behaviour were compared and a dielectric anomaly was evident due to the electric dipole relaxation in the mixed-valence system.

Trichosporon asteroides Isolated from Cutaneous Lesions of a Suspected Case of "paracoccidioidomycosis ceti" in a Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

"Paracoccidioidomycosis ceti" is a rare zoonotic fungal infection affecting dolphins and is endemic worldwide. The causative agents are Paracoccidioides species; however, it is impossible to isolate the fungal species. We isolated Trichosporon asteroides from multifocal, irregularly raised skin lesions on a female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) captured off coast of Japan, which was suspected to have "paracoccidioidomycosis ceti.

Cationic N-Heterocyclic Carbene Copper-Catalyzed [1,3]-Alkoxy Rearrangement of N-Alkoxyanilines.

The [1,3]-alkoxy rearrangement reactions of N-alkoxyanilines were efficiently catalyzed by cationic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-Cu catalysts in affording 2-alkoxyaniline derivatives in good to excellent yields with high functional group compatibility. For N-alkoxyanilines having an electron-withdrawing substituent at the meta-position, the alkoxy group selectively migrated to the more hindered ortho-position. In contrast, the alkoxy group migrated to the less hindered ortho-position for N-alkoxyanilines having an electron-donating substituent.

[Successful Prophylactic Minocycline Treatment for Recurrent Helicobacter Cinaedi Sepsis during Chemotherapy in a Patient with Follicular Lymphoma].

A 63-year-old man with follicular lymphoma was administered standard R-CHOP chemotherapy. Six days after the second course of chemotherapy, the patient developed fever and chills. Blood cultures yielded rod-shaped gram-negative bacteria, but no further identification was obtained.

Narrow-band imaging can increase the visibility of fibrin caps after bleeding of esophageal varices: a case with extensive esophageal candidiasis.

A 58-year-old man with hepatitis B cirrhosis noticed black stools and underwent an endoscopy at a community hospital. The presence of esophageal varices (EVs) was confirmed, but the bleeding point was not found. He was referred to our institution and underwent a second endoscopy.

Rapid Access to Nitrogenous Heterobicycles via Rh -Catalyzed Isomerization from Alkynes to Allenes.

We show that N-alkynylnitrones are efficiently converted to nitrogenous heterobicyclic compounds with a nitrogen atom at the bridgehead position by using a Rh -catalyst. Our mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds via an allene intermediate, which is generated in situ through Rh -catalyzed isomerization of the alkyne group.

Delamanid Kills Dormant Mycobacteria and in a Guinea Pig Model of Tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) treatment is long and requires multiple drugs, likely due to various phenotypes of TB bacilli with variable drug susceptibilities. Drugs with broad activity are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate delamanid's activity against growing or dormant bacilli as well as Cultures of BCG Tokyo under aerobic and anaerobic conditions were used to study the activity of delamanid against growing and dormant bacilli, respectively.

Concerted [1,3]-Rearrangement in Cationic Cobalt-Catalyzed Reaction of O-(Alkoxycarbonyl)-N-arylhydroxylamines.

O-(Alkoxycarbonyl)-N-arylhydroxylamines were efficiently converted to 2-aminophenol derivatives by cationic cobalt catalysts at 30 °C. The results of O-labeling experiments suggested that rearrangement of the alkoxycarbonyl group from the aniline nitrogen to the ortho position proceeded in an unprecedented [1,3] manner.

Right hemisphere pitch-mismatch negativity reduction in patients with major depression: An MEG study.

Background: The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of the event-related potential and its magnetic counterpart, the MMNm, are generated by a mismatch between the physical features of a deviant stimulus and a neuronal sensory-memory trace produced by repetitive standard stimuli. Deficits in the MMN/MMNm have been reported in patients with major depression; however, the results are inconsistent. The present study investigated the pitch-MMNm in patients with major depression using whole-head 306-channel magnetoencephalography (MEG).

Solvation Energy of Ions in Polymers: Effects of Chain Length and Connectivity on Saturated Dipoles near Ions.

We illustrate the effects of chain connectivity on the solvation energy of ions immersed in polymer liquids by developing a new coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. Our theory accounts for the dielectric response of the polymers through the connection of dipolar, monomeric units with nonlinear springs. In stark contrast to the standard Born solvation energy of ions, our results depend substantially on the chain length of the polymers.

Silkworm fungal infection model for identification of virulence genes in pathogenic fungus and screening of novel antifungal drugs.

The silkworm infection model has the potential to replace conventional animal models for evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of investigational antifungal agents. Silkworms are relatively inexpensive, can be simply grown in large numbers and can be easily infected with pathogenic fungi, including mutant strains. Antifungal agents can then be injected into the silkworm either via the hemolymph to mimic intravenous administration or directly into the gut for oral administration, and their antifungal effect can be evaluated.

[Totally implantable central venous device-associated blood stream infection in elderly malignant disease patients].

Aim: We investigated the rate of bloodstream infections in elderly malignant disease patients whose totally implantable central venous device (CV ports) had been removed for any reason at our hospital.

Methods: We evaluated 22 elderly malignant disease patients who had had their CV ports removed for any reason between May 2014 to April 2015.

Results: The patients were 12 males and 10 females between 62 and 86 years of age with a median age of 75.

Fatal sepsis caused by multidrug-resistant Bacteroides fragilis, harboring a cfiA gene and an upstream insertion sequence element, in Japan.

Here, we report a case of fatal sepsis resulting from an intra-abdominal infection caused by a Bacteroides fragilis strain containing a CfiA4 metallo-β-lactamase and an upstream insertion sequence (IS) element. Meropenem was used as empiric therapy for septic shock as a result of the intra-abdominal infection, although two rounds of carbapenem treatment had been administered previously. B.

Expression of rice promotes cell proliferation, leading to enhancement of growth in transgenic tobacco.

An increase in plant biomass production is desired to reduce emission of carbon dioxide emissions and arrest global climate change because it will provide a more source of energy production than fossil fuels. Recently, we found that forced expression of the rice gene increased aboveground growth by . 2-fold in the transgenic plants.

High prevalence of anti-TSH receptor antibody in fibromyalgia syndrome.

Aim: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is defined as chronic widespread pain that cannot be accounted for by any other medical disorder. Our aim was to explore the prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in patients with FMS.

Methods: For determining thyroid function in 207 FMS patients, we tested for the titers of free tri-iodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and anti-TSH receptor antibody (TRAb).

Transcriptional Induction of Periostin by a Sulfatase 2-TGFβ1-SMAD Signaling Axis Mediates Tumor Angiogenesis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Existing antiangiogenic approaches to treat metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are weakly effectual, prompting further study of tumor angiogenesis in this disease setting. Here, we report a novel role for sulfatase 2 (SULF2) in driving HCC angiogenesis. Sulf2-deficient mice (Sulf2 KO) exhibited resistance to diethylnitrosamine-induced HCC and did not develop metastases like wild-type mice (Sulf2 WT).

Growth increase of Arabidopsis by forced expression of rice 45S rRNA gene.

Forced expression of rice 45S rRNA gene conferred ca. 2-fold increase of above-ground growth in transgenic Arabidopsis . This growth increase was probably brought by cell proliferation, not by cell enlargement.

Murine hypothalamic destruction with vascular cell apoptosis subsequent to combined administration of human papilloma virus vaccine and pertussis toxin.

Vaccination is the most powerful way to prevent human beings from contracting infectious diseases including viruses. In the case of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, an unexpectedly novel disease entity, HPV vaccination associated neuro-immunopathetic syndrome (HANS), has been reported and remains to be carefully verified. To elucidate the mechanism of HANS, we applied a strategy similar to the active experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model - one of the most popular animal models used to induce maximum immunological change in the central nervous system.

Nocardia elegans infection: a case report and literature review.

A case of disseminated nocardiosis caused by Nocardia elegans in a 72-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis, treated with tacrolimus and prednisolone, is reported herein. The patient had impaired vision and was diagnosed with endophthalmitis and an abdominal skin abscess. He was started on trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole treatment, followed by cefepime.

A new marker sequence for systematics of medically important fungi based on amino acid sequence of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase I.

Molecular evolution has dominated taxonomic studies for decades, replacing traditional methods for identification and classification. However, there is a need for better markers to resolve the problems that have limited their usefulness. In this report, we introduce the protein tag (Ptag) sequence, a highly polymorphic amino acid sequence within the C-terminal region of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase I, as a new systematic tag sequence for delineating the evolutionary history of medically important fungi.

Increased BOLD Signals Elicited by High Gamma Auditory Stimulation of the Left Auditory Cortex in Acute State Schizophrenia.

Recent MRI studies have shown that schizophrenia is characterized by reductions in brain gray matter, which progress in the acute state of the disease. Cortical circuitry abnormalities in gamma oscillations, such as deficits in the auditory steady state response (ASSR) to gamma frequency (>30-Hz) stimulation, have also been reported in schizophrenia patients. In the current study, we investigated neural responses during click stimulation by BOLD signals.

First case report of infection due to Cupriavidus gilardii in a patient without immunodeficiency: a case report.

Background: Cupriavidus gilardii is an aerobic, Gram-negative, glucose-nonfermenting rod that was first identified in 1999. Because of the difficulty in accurate species identification of C. gilardii, there are few case reports of infection caused by this organism.