Concerns Regarding the Use of Kirchhoff's Laws in Pharmacokinetics.

Over the last two years the idea that the principles presented in Kirchhoff's circuit and voltage laws also pertain to pharmacokinetics (1-3). It is claimed that these principles make the elimination in the liver and kidney more straight forward to model and provide a rationale for understanding why sometimes during bioavailability studies one arrives at bioavailability values greater than 100%. In this paper it will be shown that these claims are based on incorrect translations of the Kirchhoff's Laws to pharmacokinetics.

Bactericidal Efficacy of So-Called Sanitizers in Japan.

Commercially available so-called sanitizers in Japan are often touted as having remarkable "sanitizing (jokin)" effect, "virus-removal" capabilities, and "99.99%" removal rate of microbes and pathogens. In this study, we investigated the bactericidal efficacy of these so-called sanitizers for environmental surfaces against Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Burkholderia cepacia-contaminated dentures possibly cause pneumonia.

We report a case in which a patient was suspected of developing pneumonia due to wearing dentures that were immersed in a storage solution contaminated with 3.0 × 10 colony-forming units (cfu)/mL of Burkholderia cepacia. It is highly possible that the contaminated denture solution entered the trachea and caused the pneumonia, possibly due to the prolonged supine positioning of the patient.

Peripheral Parenteral Nutrition Solutions and Bed Bath Towels as Risk Factors for Nosocomial Peripheral Venous Catheter-related Bloodstream Infection by .

In Japan, China, and Singapore, several studies have reported increased incidences of peripheral venous catheter-related bloodstream infection by during the summer. Therefore, we hypothesized that bed bathing with a -contaminated "clean" towels increases contact with the catheter and increases the odds of contaminating the peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN). We found that 1) professionally laundered "clean" towels used in hospitals have (3.

Possibility of a case of pneumonia caused by green tea contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and countermeasures against it.

We report a patient who developed pneumonia after prolonged use of spray bottle containing green tea for hydration purposes. The cause was suspected to be a contamination of green tea because the patient's symptoms persisted and did not improve until stopping the use of the spray bottle and we also found the green tea in the spray bottle to harbor a high number of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1.2 × 10 colony forming units (cfu)/mL).

Microbial contamination of hands with or without the use of bidet toilets (electric toilet seats with water spray) after defecation.

Bidet toilets (electric toilet seats with water spray) are increasing in popularity worldwide. However, the extent of reduction of microbial contamination of the hands with the use of bidet toilets after defecation is unclear. Microbe contamination of the hands with and without the use of bidet toilets after defecation was examined in 32 nursing students.

Development of a Clinical Prediction Model for Infective Endocarditis Among Patients with Undiagnosed Fever: A Pilot Case-Control Study.

Purpose: Infective endocarditis (IE) may be diagnosed as fever of unknown origin due to its delusively non-descriptive clinical features, especially in outpatient clinics. Our objective is to develop a prediction model to discriminate patients to be diagnosed as "definite" IE from "non-definite" by modified Duke criteria among patients with undiagnosed fever, using only history and results of physical examinations and common laboratory examinations.

Patients And Methods: The study was a single-center case-control study.

Rapid Detection of Microbial Contamination in Intravenous Fluids by ATP-Based Monitoring System.

In this study, we investigated four clinical cases of microbial contamination of in-use intravenous infusion fluid, detected by measuring "Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) + adenosine monophosphate (AMP)" ("ATP+AMP") levels. High "ATP+AMP" values correlate with microbial contamination, and by utilizing these values as indicator for microbial contamination possibility, we were able to rapidly detect the contamination and recommend replacement of catheters and administration sets. In three out of four cases, changing the infusion fluid led to improvement in the condition of the patients.

Slight brightness and osteosclerotic changes of bones on plain X-ray could be clues to the diagnosis of disseminated carcinomatosis of bone marrow.

Clinicians should be alert to the presence of slight brightness and osteosclerotic changes of bones on plain X-rays, especially in patients without a history of gastric, colon, breast, lung, or prostate cancers, which could lead to the diagnosis of disseminated carcinomatosis of bone marrow.

Identification of a New Inhibitor That Stabilizes Interleukin-2-Inducible T-Cell Kinase in Its Inactive Conformation.

Interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK) plays an important role in T-cell signaling and is considered a promising drug target. As the ATP binding sites of protein kinases are highly conserved, the design of selective kinase inhibitors remains a challenge. Targeting inactive kinase conformations can address the issue of kinase inhibitor selectivity.

The Use of Electric Toilet Seats with Water Spray Is Efficacious in Maintaining Hand Hygiene in Experimental Model.

A simulation experiment was conducted to examine hand contamination from wiping the buttocks after the use and non-use of an electric toilet seat with water spray. A model of the buttocks was smeared with artificial diarrheal feces containing Serratia marcescens, and wiped by the participants wearing disposable gloves with 4 sheets of toilet paper after the use and non-use of the water spray of an electric toilet seat. Subsequently, the presence of S.

Impact of intraocular pressure reduction on visual field progression in normal-tension glaucoma followed up over 15 years.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of surgical or medical reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) on progressive normal-tension glaucoma followed up over 15 years.

Methods: Sixty eyes of 60 patients were divided into 3 intervention groups: group 1 (trabeculectomy, n = 17); group 2 (IOP reduction rate ≥15% with prostaglandin analogs, n = 24); and group 3 (IOP reduction rate <15% with prostaglandin analogs, n = 19). The preintervention and postintervention mean deviation (MD) slopes and IOP were compared.

The Risk of Microbial Contamination in Multiple-Dose Preservative-Free Ophthalmic Preparations.

Multiple-dose ophthalmic preparations that do not contain preservatives carry high risks of microbial contamination. However, there are various types of hospital preparations, with different physicochemical properties. In the present study, we evaluated the association between physicochemical properties and microbial contamination in ophthalmic preparations.

Muscle RAS oncogene homolog (MRAS) recurrent mutation in Borrmann type IV gastric cancer.

The prognosis of patients with Borrmann type IV gastric cancer (Type IV) is extremely poor. Thus, there is an urgent need to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the oncogenesis of Type IV and to identify new therapeutic targets. Although previous studies using whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing have elucidated genomic alterations in gastric cancer, none has focused on comprehensive genetic analysis of Type IV.

Microbial Contamination of Ice Machines Is Mediated by Activated Charcoal Filtration Systems in a City Hospital.

Although microbial contamination of ice machines has been reported, no previous study has addressed microbial contamination of ice produced by machines equipped with activated charcoal (AC) filters in hospitals. The aim of this study was to provide clinical data for evaluating AC filters to prevent microbial contamination of ice. We compared microbial contamination in ice samples produced by machines with (n = 20) and without an AC filter (n = 40) in Shunan City Shinnanyo Municipal Hospital.

Contamination of environmental surfaces by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in rooms of inpatients with MRSA-positive body sites.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can contaminate environmental surfaces that are frequently touched by the hands of patients with MRSA colonization/infection. There have been many studies in which the presence or absence of MRSA contamination was determined but no studies in which MRSA contamination levels were also evaluated in detail. We evaluated MRSA contamination of environmental surfaces (overbed tables, bed side rails, and curtains) in the rooms of inpatients from whom MRSA was isolated via clinical specimens.

ARHGEF15 overexpression worsens the prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through enhancing the motility and proliferative activity of the cancer cells.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive neoplastic diseases, associated with a remarkably poor prognosis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of PDAC remain elusive. The aim of this study was to identify genes whose expressions are correlated with a poor prognosis in PDAC patients, and to unravel the mechanisms underlying the involvement of these genes in the development of the cancer.

Case of late-onset bleb associated endophthalmitis caused by Rothia mucilaginosa.

Rothia mucilaginosa is a gram-positive coagulase-negative coccus of the family Micrococcaceae. Although R. mucilaginosa forms part of the oropharyngeal microflora, it has only recently been isolated in ocular infections.

Cleanliness of Linen and Clothing Items Professionally Laundered or Dry-Cleaned.

We asked 14 professional cleaners (laundry services) to clean various unused (new) linen and clothing items with a microbial contamination level of <1 cfu/cm(2) and then evaluated the bacterial/fungal contamination of the laundered or dry-cleaned items. After laundering, 6 (21.4%) of the 28 samples from 4 of the 14 cleaners (28.

3'-ethynylcytidine, an RNA polymerase inhibitor, combined with cisplatin exhibits a potent synergistic growth-inhibitory effect via Vaults dysfunction.

Background: We previously reported that 3'-ethynylcytidine (ECyd, TAS-106), an RNA polymerases inhibitor, enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of platinum in several tumor types in both in vitro and in vivo tumor models. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the ECyd-induced enhancement remain elusive.

Methods: Cisplatin (CDDP)-resistant head and neck cancer KB cells were established by stepwise dose escalation with CDDP.

Case of recurrence of spiradenoma in palpebral conjunctiva.

Background: To report a rare case of a recurrence of spiradenoma that developed in the upper eyelid.

Case Presentation: A 49-year-old woman who had a second recurrence of a tumor in the right palpebral conjunctiva underwent local resection of the lesion with adjunctive cryotherapy to the surgical site. The tumor consisted of smooth, round to oval nodular lesions approximately 1-3 mm in size with enlarged blood vessels.

Hepatic rRNA transcription regulates high-fat-diet-induced obesity.

Ribosome biosynthesis is a major intracellular energy-consuming process. We previously identified a nucleolar factor, nucleomethylin (NML), which regulates intracellular energy consumption by limiting rRNA transcription. Here, we show that, in livers of obese mice, the recruitment of NML to rRNA gene loci is increased to repress rRNA transcription.

Macular ganglion cell complex thickness in glaucoma with superior or inferior visual hemifield defects.

Purpose: To elucidate the relationship between the macular ganglion cell complex thickness (GCCT) and its corresponding superior or inferior visual hemifield defects, and the apparently normal visual hemifield, and to explore the relationship between the macular GCCT of the corresponding apparently normal hemifield and the severity of the glaucomatous visual field defects in the same eye.

Methods: Sixty-seven eyes of 67 patients with open-angle glaucoma showed superior or inferior hemifield defects. We measured the visual field using the Humphrey Field Analyzer programs Central 30-2 and 10-2, and the GCCT using spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Contamination of blood pressure cuffs by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and preventive measures.

Background: Although blood pressure cuffs are commonly used and shared in medical facilities, their routine disinfection is performed infrequently.

Aims: We investigated the contamination of blood pressure cuffs by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Methods: The MRSA level on the inner side (the surface in contact with patients' skin) of blood pressure cuffs used in the wards and outpatient clinics of a university hospital (733 beds) was determined using the gauze and swab wiping methods.