Effect of photodynamic therapy with 5-aminolevulinic acid and EDTA-2Na against mixed infection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Background: The increasing abundance of drug-resistant bacteria is a global threat. Photodynamic therapy is an entirely new, non-invasive method for treating infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains. We previously described the bactericidal effect of photodynamic therapy on infections caused by a single type of bacterium.

Open study of photodynamic therapy for skin ulcers infected with MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Background: Drug-resistant bacterial infections are a global problem. Novel treatment methods that simultaneously control infection and promote wound healing without leading to new resistant bacteria are needed. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a useful antibiotic-free treatment approach.

Incident Fluence Analysis for 755-nm Picosecond Laser Treatment of Pigmented Skin Lesions Based on Threshold Fluences for Melanosome Disruption.

Background And Objectives: In this study, the threshold fluences for disrupting the melanosomes for pigmented skin lesion treatment were determined using a 755-nm picosecond laser for clinical use. Based on the melanosome disruption thresholds, incident fluences corresponding to the target lesion depths were evaluated in silico for different laser spot sizes.

Study Design/materials And Methods: Melanosome samples were isolated from porcine eyes as alternative samples for human cutaneous melanosomes.

Enhanced sterilization and healing of cutaneous pseudomonas infection using 5-aminolevulinic acid as a photosensitizer with 410-nm LED light.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) frequently develops antibiotic-resistant characteristics, which is clinically problematic. The main reason behind the rise of antibiotic-resistant PA is the extensive use of antibiotics. Therefore, a novel technique is needed to treat PA infections.

Photodynamic therapy using systemic administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid and a 410-nm wavelength light-emitting diode for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-infected ulcers in mice.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a worldwide problem. One potential alternative for bacterial control is photodynamic therapy. 5-aminolevulinic acid is a natural precursor of the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX.

Segmental arterial mediolysis accompanied by renal infarction and pancreatic enlargement: a case report.

Introduction: Due to recent advances in imaging diagnostic techniques, there are an increasing number of case reports of segmental arterial mediolysis. However, there are only a limited number of reports on segmental arterial mediolysis-related abnormalities of abdominal organs other than the intestine. This report describes a case of segmental arterial mediolysis accompanied by abnormalities of abdominal organs without clinical symptoms.

Safety and efficacy of an ultrashort-acting β1-blocker on left ventricular dysfunction.

Landiolol hydrochloride, an ultrashort-acting β1-selective blocker, is a highly regulated drug. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of this drug for cases of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with left ventricular dysfunction. Between September 2006 and August 2009, 32 patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of <40% underwent CABG.

WITHDRAWN: Endoscopic Radial Artery Harvesting: Long-Term Results and Graft Patency Rate.

This article has been withdrawn: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

Efficacy of propafenone hydrochloride in preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common complications after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and the incidence of postoperative AF (PAF) is estimated to range from 10% to 40%. PAF is a serious complication that is related to unstable hemodynamics, development of embolisms, patient discomfort, and increased medical costs associated with the prolongation of hospital stay. Sometimes, immediate attention is also necessary.

Primary tuberculosis of the appendix in a young male patient: report of a case.

A 23-year-old man without a history of tuberculosis presented with right lower abdominal pain and a fever. An increased inflammatory response was found, and abdominal computed tomography showed a diffuse enlargement and wall thickening in the appendix. An ileocecal abscess and perforating appendicitis were suspected.

Endoscopic radial artery harvesting for coronary artery bypass grafting: the initial clinical experience and results of the first 50 patients.

Background: The radial artery (RA) is a commonly used arterial conduit in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Traditional open-vessel harvest often leads to postoperative wound complications and cosmetic problems. Endoscopic RA harvesting (ERAH) has been widely used to prevent these problems.

[Perioperative management following cardiovascular surgery in patients with renal insufficiency].

In recent years as the population becomes older, the number of patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery and thereafter suffering various complications has risen with increasing severity. Renal insufficiency is one of the characteristic complications. Most cardiovascular procedures require extracorporeal circulation.

New method of thermal coronary angiography for intraoperative patency control in off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: We evaluated the effectiveness of a new thermal coronary angiogram system using intraoperative imaging with an infrared camera for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: The thermal coronary angiograms of 51 patients who underwent a total of 107 coronary artery bypass grafts were evaluated. Thermal coronary angiograms were obtained after completing distal anastomoses by the injection of cold saline solution into the vein grafts or free arterial grafts or by reperfusion with warmer blood in the internal thoracic artery grafts.

Coronary artery bypass grafting in DES era.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has played an important role in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. Recently, the introduction of a drug-eluting stent (DES) has decreased the incidence of restenosis after percutaneous intervention (PCI). PCI with a DES is being increasingly performed, whereas the number of patients for whom CABG has been indicated has decreased over the last few years in Japan and the United States.

Central arterial cannulation and the arch first method for aortic arch aneurysm repair.

Background: We investigated whether the axillary artery or ascending aorta cannulation combined with the arch first method decreases the risk of stroke during total arch replacement.

Patients And Methods: From January 2002 to January 2006, 35 total arch replacements were performed with the arch first method and central arterial cannulation. The mean age was 66+/-10 years.

Application of a new suture material called the U-Clip for composite and sequential grafting with off-pump coronary bypass surgery.

Background: The U-Clip was found to facilitate the interrupted anastomosis of coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG). This device may be beneficial especially in multivessel off-pump CABG (OPCAB) using composite grafts or sequential anastomosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate our early clinical experience using the U-Clip in OPCAB cases.

Pulsed dye laser treatment for linear scars with concave and erythematous appearance.

Facial linear scars with concave and erythematous appearance sometimes occur after long observation even if adequate conservative treatments have been applied. Because the regenerated epithelium is thin, those scars are seen as red or pink, and are sometimes accompanied with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. For these scars, flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye of the wavelength of 585 nm and pulse-width of 450 micro s was used, and acceptable results were obtained.

Alterations and diversity in the cytoplasmic tail of the fusion protein of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus strains isolated in Osaka, Japan.

We determined the nucleotide sequence of the fusion (F) gene of three strains (Osaka-1, -2, and -3) of nonproductive variants of measles virus (MV). These viral strains were isolated in Osaka, Japan, from brain tissues of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship among the three strains of SSPE virus.

Comparison of the neuropathogenicity of two SSPE sibling viruses of the Osaka-2 strain isolated with Vero and B95a cells.

Two sibling viruses, Fr/V and Fr/B, of the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) virus Osaka-2 strain were isolated from a small biopsy specimen of the brain of an SSPE patient by cocultivation with two different cell lines, Vero and B95a cells, respectively. These two sibling viruses differ from each other in their molecular mechanisms of defective M protein expression. In this study, we found that the Fr/B virus could scarcely form syncytium foci on Vero cells, although the Fr/V virus could do so on both Vero and B95a cells, showing a similar relation of cell tropism between recent field isolates and laboratory strains of the measles virus.