Publications by authors named "Shoko Kashimura"
Article Synopsis
- A study aimed to identify what motivates individuals to receive COVID-19 booster vaccines through a paper-based questionnaire at Keio University, involving 1725 participants who had received their initial vaccinations in 2021.
- The main motivators for getting vaccinated included fear of severe illness from COVID-19 (72.6%), concern about infecting others (68.4%), and fear of infection itself (68.3%).
- Television was found to be the most influential source of vaccination information, while trust in vaccine efficacy and safety was linked to participants' willingness to get booster shots, regardless of reported adverse events experienced.
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental bacteria resistant to many common disinfectants and ultraviolet radiation. Inhalation of aerosols generated from NTM-containing water and soil causes NTM lung disease, especially in people with underlying lung diseases and decreased immunity. To prevent healthcare-acquired NTM infections, it is important to eradicate NTM living in hospital environments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) pulmonary disease is notoriously difficult to treat due to intrinsic resistance to many common antibiotics. MABC is β-lactam-resistant as it produces class A β-lactamases, such as bla, which are inhibited by diazabicyclooctane (DBO) β-lactamase inhibitors.
Objectives: To investigate the microbiological effects of the combination of β-lactam and DBO β-lactamase inhibitors (relebactam and nacubactam) against MABC and determine if the effects are associated with the MABC subspecies and colony morphotype.
Objective To consider effective measures against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in medical institutions, this study estimated the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Tokyo, Japan, and determined the specific findings for mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Methods This study analyzed the results of serologic tests to detect immunoglobulin G antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and evaluated the demographic and clinical characteristics of the faculty and HCWs at a Tokyo medical institution in August 2020. The demographic and clinical characteristics of participants with antibody-positive results were compared to those of participants with antibody-negative results.
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- The study aimed to assess the potential of hsa-miR-346 as a biomarker for tuberculosis activity, particularly in cases involving non-tuberculous mycobacterial diseases.
- Researchers tested how hsa-miR-346 is secreted by human macrophages infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and compared its levels in patients with tuberculosis to healthy individuals, finding significant differences.
- Results showed that hsa-miR-346 levels were elevated in infected macrophages and serum of tuberculosis patients, and these levels decreased after two months of anti-tuberculosis treatment, highlighting its potential role as a marker for the disease.
The incidence of complex (MAC) pulmonary disease (MAC PD), a refractory chronic respiratory tract infection, is increasing worldwide. MAC has three predominant colony morphotypes: smooth opaque (SmO), smooth transparent (SmT) and rough (Rg). To determine whether colony morphotypes can predict the prognosis of MAC PD, we evaluated the virulence of SmO, SmT and Rg in mice and in human macrophages.
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