Switching disease-modifying therapies from sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators to natalizumab or dimethyl fumarate restores immune responses after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate whether switching disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) from sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators to either natalizumab (NTZ) or dimethyl fumarate (DMF) could restore the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: This study included 9 controls and 33 patients with MS: 7 patients treated with DMF, 7 patients treated with NTZ, 9 patients treated with S1P receptor modulators, and 10 patients who had switched DMTs from S1P receptor modulators to DMF or NTZ by the second vaccine dose. The patients who had switched DMTs were classified into two groups, based on whether their lymphocyte counts were above or below 1000/μL at the time of vaccination.

Impact of Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Test in Patients With Meningitis or Encephalitis.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel (FAME) on length of stay (LOS) and duration of antimicrobial treatment in children and adults in a Japanese community hospital.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Japan between January 2016 and December 2022. We included hospitalized patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and those aged <2 months or who had 5 or more white blood cells/μL in the CSF.

RGMa collapses the neuronal actin barrier against disease-implicated protein and exacerbates ALS.

Repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMa) was originally identified as a neuronal growth cone-collapsing factor. Previous reports have demonstrated the multifunctional roles of RGMa mediated by neogenin1. However, the pathogenic involvement of RGMa in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains unclear.

infection requiring finger amputation due to rapid deterioration and tissue damage.

We report a case of infection of the middle finger of a 69-year-old man who visited our hospital. Pus was collected from the erythematous and swollen area of the nail cage of the left-hand middle finger and evaluated in our microbiology laboratory. Gram staining of the specimen revealed multinucleated leukocytes and abundant gram-negative bacilli.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiplex polymerase chain reaction test on outpatient antibiotic prescriptions for pediatric respiratory infection.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic on outpatient antibiotic prescriptions for pediatric respiratory infections at an acute care hospital in Japan in order to direct future pediatric outpatient antibiotic stewardship. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the FilmArray Respiratory Panel (RP) on outpatient antibiotic prescriptions was assessed from January 2019 to December 2021 using an interrupted time series analysis of children <20 years. The overall antimicrobial prescription rate decreased from 38.

Cell-Free DNA Derived From Neutrophils Triggers Type 1 Interferon Signature in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder.

Background And Objectives: Recently accumulating evidence suggests the pivotal role of type 1 interferon (IFN-1) signature in the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, the mechanism of the initial trigger that augments IFN-1 pathway in the peripheral immune system of NMOSD has yet to be elucidated.

Methods: Clinical samples were obtained from 32 patients with aquaporin-4 antibody-positive NMOSD and 23 healthy subjects.

High cell surface expression and peptide binding affinity of HLA-DQA1*05:03, a susceptible allele of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD).

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a relapsing autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of pathogenic autoantibodies, anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibodies. Recently, HLA-DQA1*05:03 was shown to be significantly associated with NMOSD in a Japanese patient cohort. However, the specific mechanism by which HLA-DQA1*05:03 is associated with the development of NMOSD has yet to be elucidated.

Mitochondrial DNA enhance innate immune responses in neuromyelitis optica by monocyte recruitment and activation.

Although recent studies indicate the involvement of monocytes in accelerating the lesion formation of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), the precise mechanism of the innate immune system activation remains elusive. Thus, in this study, we aimed to clarify the mechanisms of NMOSD pathogenesis from the viewpoint of innate immunity activation. We established anti-AQP4 recombinant autoantibodies (Ab) from plasmablasts in NMOSD patient's CSF.

[A case of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy presenting recurrent attacks associated with pregnancies].

At 37 years of age, the patient initially presented with symptoms of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) during her 1st pregnancy. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), and showed favorable recovery, becoming almost asymptomatic by the age of 38. At 39 years of age, during her puerperal period of her second pregnancy, she developed symmetrical muscle weakness and sensory disturbance of the upper and lower limbs.