Hepatocyte growth factor levels in Legionella pneumonia: a retrospective study.

Background: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is known to be involved in the resolution of pulmonary inflammation and repair of acute lung injury. Legionella pneumonia is sometimes complicated by acute lung injury. Our study aimed to determine the role of serum HGF levels in Legionella pneumonia.

[A case of interstitial pneumonia during gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy for locally advanced bladder cancer].

A 76-year-old woman received chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC therapy) for local advanced bladder cancer. She suffered from dyspnea on day 19 during the first course of GC therapy. Both chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) images revealed diffuse bilateral interstitial infiltrates.

Malignant epithelioid angiomyolipoma in the kidney and liver of a patient with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis: lack of response to sirolimus.

A 26-year-old woman with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) was hospitalized for the surgical excision of a giant abdominal tumor of right kidney origin. The pathological diagnosis of the tumor was conventional angiomyolipoma (AML). After 8 months, 2 liver tumors appeared and grew rapidly.

Epidemiology of influenza from 2007 to 2008 in naha area, okinawa prefecture: surveillance of rapid antigen test results.

The incidence of influenza in the Naha city area in the southernmost part of Japan was surveyed in 2007 and 2008. Patients who had influenza-like symptoms and visited one of four general hospitals in Naha City, Okinawa, Japan were included in this study. The nasal or throat swab samples were applied to the rapid test for detecting influenza A and B virus antigens.

Assessment of serum anti-Bordetella pertussis antibody titers among medical staff members.

This study comparatively evaluated the titers of the bacterial agglutination (BA) antibody for Bordetella pertussis, anti-pertussis toxin (PT) antibody, and anti-filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) antibody in the serum of medical staff members. The geometric means of the anti-PT and anti-FHA antibody titers were 5.83 and 17.

Interferon-gamma reverses the evasion of Birc1e/Naip5 gene mediated murine macrophage immunity by Legionella pneumophila mutant lacking flagellin.

Legionella pneumophila is the etiologic agent of Legionnaires' disease. This bacterium contains a single monopolar flagellum, of which the FlaA subunit is a major protein constituent. The murine macrophage resistance against this bacterium is controlled by the Birc1e/Naip5 gene, which belongs to the NOD family.