Molecular characterization of AfuFleA, an L-fucose-specific lectin from Aspergillus fumigatus.

Aspergillus fumigatus causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. We have found that extracts of mycelial mats of A. fumigatus contain a potent hemagglutinin.

Clinical features of Proteus mirabilis pneumonia.

In this study, we clinically reviewed 13 patients with Proteus mirabilis pneumonia who were admitted for treatment to Kawasaki Medical School Kawasaki Hospital, Okayama, Japan, between April 2006 and July 2009. Clinical features were retrospectively reviewed. Results showed that: (1) hospital-acquired pneumonia occurred in elderly patients with underlying diseases such as cerebrovascular disease; (2) some patients had complications of urinary tract infection due to P.

Clinical features of Escherichia coli pneumonia.

Escherichia coli pneumonia was clinically reviewed. Twenty-two patients with E. coli pneumonia were admitted for treatment to Kawasaki Medical School Kawasaki Hospital, between January 2006 and December 2008.

Procalcitonin and severity of community-acquired pneumonia.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between procalcitonin and the severity and prognosis of community-acquired pneumonia. The subjects were 162 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (disease severity, mild, 39 patients; moderate, 81 patients; severe, 37 patients; and super severe, 5 patients) in whom we examined the serum procalcitonin concentration at the start of treatment; we determined the relationship of procalcitonin status with disease severity and prognosis. The results showed that procalcitonin was positive in 12.

[A case of miliary tuberculosis difficult to distinguish from metastatic lung cancer].

We report a case of the coexistence of pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer maked a wrong diagnosis of lung cancer and metastatic lung carcinoma. The patient was a 80-years-old woman who had ascites and anorexia and decreased weight. Chest CT film showed a mass shadow in the right S, and infiltrative shadows on bilateral lung fields.

[Clinical effects of continuous infusion and intermittent infusion of meropenem on bacterial pneumonia in the elderly].

We compared the clinical effects of continuous infusion and intermittent infusion of meropenem (MEPM) on bacterial pneumonia in the elderly. The subjects were elderly patients (over 65) with moderate community-acquired bacterial pneumonia whose performance status was 3 or 4. They were randomly divided into an intermittent group (0.