Publications by authors named "Ohya K"

Chicken meat is a major source of foodborne salmonellosis. In Japan, fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins are the first- and second-choice treatments for Salmonella gastroenteritis, respectively. We investigated the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella in 154 chicken meat products from Hokkaido (42), Tohoku (45), Kanto (5), and Kyushu (62), Japan.

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Bovine coronavirus (BCoV), a significant cattle pathogen causing enteric and respiratory diseases, is primarily detected using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Our objective was to develop a novel detection method for BCoV by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization‒time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Peptide mass fingerprint analysis revealed that nucleocapsid (N), membrane (M), and hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) were three main BCoV proteins.

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Pyrogens cause shock symptoms when released into the bloodstream. They are classified into two main categories: endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides [LPS]) and non-endotoxin pyrogens. The monocyte activation test (MAT) is an in vitro assay to detect pyrogens in human monocytes.

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  • A study evaluated pulmonary hemodynamics in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)-associated pulmonary hypertension (PH) after mid-term follow-up using right heart catheterization (RHC) on 56 patients born before 28 weeks of gestation.
  • Out of the 10 infants with PH defined by ultrasound, 7 were treated with sildenafil, and results showed significant improvements in PH indicators at a median age of 25 months.
  • Despite improvements, half of the patients still had catheterization-defined PH, highlighting the need for continued long-term monitoring of BPD-associated PH in infants.
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  • The study aimed to explore if blocking the CCR2 receptor could prevent pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in rat models and improve inflammatory and vascular issues.
  • Researchers used genetically modified Ccr2(-/-) rats and found that these rats showed lower blood pressure in the heart, reduced inflammation, and less vascular damage after being exposed to certain treatments that typically induce PAH.
  • Additionally, combining the CCR2 blockade with the PDE5 inhibitor tadalafil further improved symptoms of pulmonary hypertension, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach for PAH.
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Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) causes rhinopneumonitis, abortion, and neurological outbreaks (equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy, EHM) in horses. EHV-1 also causes lethal encephalitis in small laboratory animals such as mice and hamsters experimentally. EHV-1 ORF76 is a homolog of HSV-1 US9, which is a herpesvirus kinase.

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  • An outbreak of Salmonella Stanley linked to dried wood ear mushrooms imported from China led to serotyping and testing to assess the risk of Salmonella contamination in these mushrooms.
  • Testing of 20 dried wood ear mushroom samples revealed various Salmonella serovars, with some samples showing significant Salmonella levels, indicating potential contamination risks.
  • In contrast, testing of 63 dried wood ear mushroom products sold in Japan found no Salmonella, suggesting better safety in domestically retailed products, but still highlighting potential risks associated with imported mushrooms.
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  • Pyrogens, including bacterial endotoxins and non-endotoxin pyrogens (NEPs), can cause fever or shock when they enter the bloodstream, prompting the need for effective detection methods in medical products.
  • A new monocyte-activation test (MAT) has been developed to identify these pyrogens, but established controls don't work uniformly for both endotoxins and NEPs, highlighting a need for specific positive controls for NEPs.
  • This study focused on creating heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus (HKSA) as a positive control for NEPs by optimizing a filtration method, finding that a double filtration process using specific glass filters produced a consistent bacterial suspension suitable for MAT testing.
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  • Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a common heart condition that often goes unnoticed in children, potentially leading to complications in adulthood if untreated.
  • A study in Japan analyzed data from children with ASD who underwent procedures for closure, revealing that 37% were identified through school ECG screenings, especially those older than 6 years.
  • The results indicate that ECG screenings are effective in detecting significant ASDs in asymptomatic students, highlighting their importance in early diagnosis and management.
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We report here the whole-genome sequence of the NRM_5 strain isolated from the fecal samples of wild Indian ring-necked parakeet () in Japan. The sequence type is ST35, which is known to be associated with pigeons and doves, indicating the potential for transmission among bird species.

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  • A 66-year-old woman experienced diarrhea and weight loss about 14 months after undergoing a bone marrow transplant for leukemia, initially treated for GI late acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
  • Following unsuccessful treatment, a colonoscopy revealed an intact GI mucosa, while imaging found an atrophic pancreas with significantly reduced levels of exocrine enzymes.
  • The patient's condition improved with pancrelipase treatment, suggesting her symptoms were related to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, potentially caused by atypical chronic GVHD.
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Introduction: Systemic therapy is recommended for patients with Child-Pugh A in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We analyzed the outcomes of a cohort of patients with HCC who received either sorafenib (Sor), lenvatinib (Len) or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo + Bev) as first-line systemic therapy for HCC, with the aim of identifying prognostic factors for survival.

Methods: A total of 825 patients with advanced HCC and Child-Pugh A or B received either Sor, Len or Atezo + Bev as first-line systemic therapy.

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A foodborne outbreak related to milk cartons served in school lunches occurred in June 2021, which involved more than 1,800 cases from 25 schools. The major symptoms were abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever. Although major foodborne toxins and pathogens were not detected, a specific strain, serotype OUT (OgGp9):H18, was predominantly isolated from milk samples related to the outbreak and most patients tested.

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Gonorrhea has become a serious problem because the number of infected people is increasing and the multi-drug resistance of the causative bacteria, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is progressing. To develop novel drugs against resistant N. gonorrhoeae, we focused on the antibiotic novobiocin (1).

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Chlamydia-related bacteria of the Chlamydiales order have recently been described as emerging pathogens that cause pneumonia and abortion in animals and humans. We investigated the presence of Chlamydiales using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by targeting the 16S rRNA gene of a broad range of Chlamydiales in 827 fecal samples from pet birds kept in individual homes in Japan. Of the 827 samples, 493 (59.

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  • MAH (Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis) is a common mycobacterium causing infections in humans and animals, particularly linked to outbreaks in pigs.
  • The study analyzed 50 MAH isolates from pigs in Japan, revealing a genetic connection between these isolates and those found in humans from North America, Europe, and Russia, but not in East Asia.
  • Researchers identified a new lineage of MAH (SC5) and emphasized that pig farms are influenced by environmental strains and human infections, highlighting two main transmission routes: environmental exposure and pig movement.
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Background And Aims: Mutations within the precore (PC) and basal core promoter (BCP) regions of the HBV genome are associated with fulminant hepatitis and HBV reactivation. These mutations may enhance viral replication, but little is known about whether they directly induce damage to the liver. We investigated mechanisms of direct cytopathic effects induced by the infection with PC/BCP mutants in the absence of immune response in vitro and in vivo .

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  • The study investigates the antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella spp. from enteritis patients to guide treatment choices.
  • C. jejuni showed resistance rates of 17.2% to ampicillin and 46.4% to ciprofloxacin, while all isolates were susceptible to erythromycin, recommended for treatment.
  • Salmonella spp. had varying resistance rates, with all isolates susceptible to ciprofloxacin; the study identified S. Thompson, S. Enteritidis, and S. Schwarzengrund as the most common serotypes.*
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  • - An emerging enteropathogen has been linked to several foodborne outbreaks in Japan, but most foods associated with these outbreaks remain unidentified, highlighting the need for accurate detection methods.
  • - The study developed a real-time PCR assay (EA-rtPCR) specifically targeting a gene of the pathogen, demonstrating its effectiveness with a detection limit of 2.0-3.2 log CFU/mL in enriched chicken samples.
  • - Comparative testing showed that EA-rtPCR was more sensitive than nested-PCR in detecting the pathogen in chicken meat, with multiple positive findings in retail chicken and carcasses, indicating its potential to enhance food safety and research on infections.
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  • Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has traditionally been the go-to treatment for intermediate-stage, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC), but new studies show systemic therapy can be effective for patients considered TACE-refractory or -unsuitable.
  • A study involving 140 patients evaluated the effectiveness of the drug lenvatinib, finding median overall survival of 24.4 months and progression-free survival of 9.0 months, suggesting a good response to treatment.
  • The research highlights the importance of using systemic therapy in TACE-refractory patients and indicates that combining TACE after initiating lenvatinib can enhance patient outcomes.
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Some filoviruses such as ebolaviruses and marburgviruses, cause hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. Pigs are suggested to play a potential role in the filovirus ecology. We investigated the seroprevalence of filovirus infection in pigs in Ghana.

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  • This study investigates how the SARS-CoV-2 virus and a model virus, bovine coronavirus (BCoV), survive on different surfaces, observing that non-porous surfaces retain infectious virus longer than porous ones.
  • On porous materials like non-woven masks, the virus takes longer to decrease to detectable levels compared to non-porous surfaces, but overall, both viruses showed reduced infectious levels over time.
  • The research also found that RNA from SARS-CoV-2 can persist on surfaces beyond the time the virus remains infectious, indicating the need for careful measurement of viral titers to avoid misestimating contamination risks.
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The members of family Chlamydiaceae have a broad host range and cause many kinds of diseases in humans and animals. Several cases of Chlamydiaceae being detected in atypical hosts have been reported recently. Consequently, cross-species monitoring of Chlamydia in wildlife and livestock is pertinent for public health, animal hygiene and wildlife conservation.

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Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a rare febrile disorder with multisystem organ involvement temporally associated with coronavirus 2019 infection (COVID-19) and frequently exhibits features mimicking Kawasaki disease (KD), another febrile disorder in children. The pathogenesis and the full clinical spectrum of MIS-C is poorly understood: It is still unclear whether MIS-C and KD are different syndromes or represent a common spectrum. The erythema and induration of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) scar is one of the characteristic findings of KD, and is useful for the diagnosis in countries where BCG vaccination is mandated in infancy.

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  • The study presents a new diagnostic method for COVID-19 using MALDI-ToF MS to directly detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs, which simplifies procedures compared to traditional PCR.
  • Viral particles are isolated from the samples through ultrafiltration and further purified before being analyzed for specific peptides from the virus’s nucleocapsid phosphoprotein.
  • The method shows a detection limit of 10 viral copies and successfully identified NP-derived peptides in 19 samples from contagious patients, indicating its potential as a reliable and efficient high-throughput diagnostic tool.
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