Adherence to and clinical utility of "quality indicators" for Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a retrospective, multicenter study.

Background: We aimed to improve the prognosis, treatment, and management of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) by evaluating the association between adherence to quality indicators (QIs) and clinical outcomes in patients with their clinical outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical and microbiological data on hospitalized patients with SAB from 14 hospitals (three with >  600, two with 401-600, five with 201-400, and four with ≤ 200 beds) in Japan from January to December 2022. The SAB management quality was evaluated using the SAB-QI score (ranging from 0 to 13 points), which consists of 13 QIs (grouped into five categories) based on previous literature.

Threat of Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia in Severe COVID-19 Patients.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading worldwide with unprecedented rapidity. is reported to frequently cause bacterial complications in patients with COVID-19. We herein present two additional cases of pneumonia involving such patients.

Persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in an adult patient with Netherton's syndrome: A case report.

Netherton's syndrome, a rare congenital disorder, is clinically characterized by chronic dermatologic disorders such as ichthyosiform erythroderma and ichthyosis linearis circumflexa. Curable treatment is yet to be established, and corticosteroid ointment is required to maintain good dermatological condition. Because of the permanent skin barrier impairment, patients with Netherton's syndrome are considered to be vulnerable to cutaneous infections.

Preparation of leukotriene B(4) inhibitory active 2- and 3-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)benzo[b]furan derivatives and their growth inhibitory activity on human pancreatic cancer cells.

A series of 2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)benzo[b]furan and 3-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)benzo[b]furan derivatives were prepared, and their leukotriene B(4) inhibitory activity and growth inhibitory activity in cancer cell lines were evaluated. Several compounds showed strong inhibition of calcium mobilization in CHO cells overexpressing human BLT(1) and BLT(2) receptors and growth inhibition to human pancreatic cancer cells MIA PaCa-2. 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-2-[5-formyl-2-[(dimethylamino)methyleneamino]thiazol-4-yl]-5-methoxybenzo[b]furan 8b showed the most potent and selective inhibition for the human BLT(2) receptor, and its IC(50) value was smaller than that of the selected positive control compound, ZK-158252.

Variations in aganglionic segment length of the enteric neural plexus in Mowat-Wilson syndrome.

Background/purpose: Patients with zinc finger homeo box 1B (ZFHX1B) mutations or deletions develop multiple congenital anomalies including Hirschsprung disease, known as Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS). In this study, we investigated variations in the enteric neural plexus abnormalities in MWS using morphometry-based histopathologic analysis.

Methods: Seven patients with MWS (3 with mutations in exon 8 of ZFHX1B and 4 with deletions) who had undergone modified Duhamel's operations for Hirschsprung disease were examined.

Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2)-related peptides induce tear secretion in rats: involvement of PAR-2 and non-PAR-2 mechanisms.

Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) plays an extensive role in the regulation of digestive exocrine secretion. The present study examined whether PAR-2-related peptides could modulate tear secretion in rats and analyzed the underlying mechanisms. SLIGRL-NH(2), a PAR-2-activating peptide (PAR-2-AP) derived from mouse/rat PAR-2, when administered i.

Family attitude scale: measurement of criticism in the relatives of patients with schizophrenia in Japan.

Expressed emotion (EE) is traditionally measured with the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI), but the CFI requires considerable time for both execution and evaluation. As an alternative, we investigated the validity of the Family Attitude Scale (FAS), a questionnaire developed for the measurement of EE. The CFI, the FAS, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) were administered in 57 members of the families of 41 patients with acute episodes of schizophrenia.

Suppression by protease-activated receptor-2 activation of gastric acid secretion in rats.

Activation of protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2), a receptor activated by trypsin/tryptase, induces neurally mediated gastric mucus secretion accompanied by mucosal cytoprotection. In the present study, we investigated whether PAR-2 could modulate gastric acid secretion in rats. Messenger RNAs for PAR-2 and PAR-1 were detected in the gastric mucosa and smooth muscle.