Publications by authors named "Ushijima H"
Article Synopsis
- A study analyzed 1,625 stool samples from children with diarrhea in Japan over four years (2018-2022) to detect human astroviruses (HAstVs) and other diarrheal viruses, finding HAstV in 8.6% of samples.
- The prevalence of HAstVs varied by year, with a notable increase to 20.1% in 2021-2022, and a significant infection rate was observed in children aged 1-3 years.
- The study identified multiple HAstV genotypes, including outbreaks of HAstV1 and MLB2 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and noted for the first time a mixed infection of HAstV1 and MLB1.
Article Synopsis
- Viral enteric infections, caused by norovirus, rotavirus A, and human adenovirus, significantly impact the gastrointestinal system, highlighting the need for rapid diagnostic tools like the immunochromatographic (IC) test.
- The IP-Triple I IC test kit was evaluated against known positive stool specimens and showed 100% specificity for detecting NoV, RVA, and HAdV, with varying sensitivity levels of 86.7% for RVA, 70.6% for NoV, and 76.2% for HAdV.
- The findings confirm that the IP-Triple I IC test kit is effective for quick detection of multiple viral genotypes in stool samples, proving valuable for timely diagnosis during outbreaks.
Article Synopsis
- Rotavirus A (RVA) is the leading cause of gastroenteritis in kids under five, with unique bat-like strains identified in Northern Thailand in 2005 and 2019.* -
- Genome sequencing and analysis showed that these strains have genetic similarities to bat RVA strains, indicating they may originate from bats but infect humans.* -
- The study highlights the importance of monitoring RVA in both humans and animals to understand their evolution and the potential for transmission between species.*
Article Synopsis
- Sapovirus (SaV) infections are on the rise globally, with a notable increase in Japan from 2010 to 2022, mainly due to the GI.1 genotype.
- The study analyzed 15 SaV GI.1 outbreak strains using next-generation sequencing and found distinct clustering in lineages and specific amino acid substitutions in their genomes.
- Key mutations associated with the pathogenicity and spread of SaV were identified in strains responsible for the largest outbreak in Japan (2021-2022), enriching the understanding of SaV's genetic makeup.
Inorganic materials are of increasing interest not only for bone repair but also for other applications in regenerative medicine. In this study, the combined effects of energy-providing, regeneratively active inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) and also morphogenetically active pearl powder on wound healing were investigated. Aragonite, the mineralic constituent of pearl nacre and thermodynamically unstable form of crystalline calcium carbonate, was found to be converted into a soluble state in the presence of a Ca-containing wound exudate, particularly upon addition of sodium polyP (Na-polyP), driven by the transfer of Ca ions from aragonite to polyP, leading to liquid-liquid phase separation to form an aqueous Ca-polyP coacervate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe FilmArray® Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel is a modern, sensitive, and comprehensive stool testing technique for identifying common gastrointestinal pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Its increasing demand is due to ease of operation and automation. Pathogens, particularly viruses, undergo constant genetic evolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNoroviruses (NoVs) are the most significant viral pathogens associated with waterborne and foodborne outbreaks of nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and diversity of NoVs contaminated in the environmental water in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A total of 600 environmental water samples were collected from ten sampling sites in Chiang Mai from July 2020 to December 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman adenovirus (HAdV) is one of the causative viruses of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children worldwide. Species F is known to be enteric adenovirus (genotypes 40 and 41) detected in stool samples. In Japan, we conducted an epidemiological study and molecular characterization of HAdV before and after the COVID-19 pandemic from 2017 to 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNorovirus (NoV) genogroup II, polymerase type P31, capsid genotype 4, Sydney_2012 variant (GII.P31/GII.4_Sydney_2012) has been circulating at high levels for over a decade, raising the question of whether this strain is undergoing molecular alterations without demonstrating a substantial phylogenetic difference.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acute gastroenteritis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide. Among these, rotavirus, norovirus, and adenovirus have been reported as the primary viral pathogens associated with the disease. Rapid diagnosis of viral pathogens is crucial when diarrhea outbreaks occur to ensure the timely administration of appropriate treatment and control measures.
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- Human norovirus is a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in all age groups, and this study focused on genetic variations of norovirus GI strains in hospitalized children in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from 2015 to 2021.
- A total of 2829 stool samples were analyzed, revealing that only 12 (0.4%) were positive for norovirus GI, with 58.3% of these identified as recombinant strains.
- The study found significant genetic diversity among the strains, indicating a complex landscape of both recombinant and non-recombinant norovirus GI strains contributing to gastroenteritis in the region. *
Background: Little is known about predictive factors for survival outcomes of esophageal carcinoma (EC) patients who developed recurrence after undergoing multimodal therapies. We aimed to investigate long-term outcomes and identify prognostic factors in patients with relapsed EC, focusing especially on those with oligometastasis (OM).
Methods: EC patients who developed recurrence after curative treatments (radical esophagectomy or definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT)) between 2010 and 2017 were reviewed.
Article Synopsis
- Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) proved crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic as patients avoided clinics, allowing for ongoing tracking of enteric viruses in communities.
- A study was conducted analyzing raw sewage from Japan's Tohoku and Kansai regions from 2019 to 2022, focusing on major acute gastroenteritis (AGE) viruses using RT-PCR and sequence analysis.
- Findings revealed high prevalence of rotavirus A and astrovirus, with no decline in enteric viruses during the pandemic, while some strains, like norovirus GII.2, emerged and spread across the regions.
Background: SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in feces of infected individuals and in wastewater in many countries, which indicates that wastewater may be used to monitor contamination of the virus in community. However, information about the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in different types of environmental water and their genetic characterization are still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 contaminating in environmental water in Thailand.
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- Sapoviruses, like noroviruses, cause diarrhea in infants and the elderly and have been hard to study in the lab due to their difficulty in being replicated.
- Recent research shows that human sapovirus (HuSaV) can be replicated in vitro using human intestinal epithelial cells derived from tissue or cancer cell lines.
- The study found that multiple genotypes of HuSaV can infect human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived IECs and can help researchers explore inactivation methods and vaccine responses under more realistic conditions.
Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a common viral pathogen that causes diarrhea in children worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and genotype diversity of HAdV strains circulating in children admitted to the hospitals with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from 2018 to 2021. A total of 1,790 stool samples were screened for HAdV by PCR method, and 80 (4.
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- - Noroviruses (NoVs) cause significant outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis globally, and recent research indicates the emergence of new recombinant strains in various countries, including Japan.
- - A study analyzed 1,175 stool samples from Japanese infants and children over three years, finding 355 cases positive for NoV, with a predominance of GII genotypes, especially GII.4.
- - The research identified multiple genotypes and recombinant strains, highlighting a decrease in NoV infections among children during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for ongoing surveillance.
An increasing trend of sapovirus (SaV) infections in Japanese children during 2009-2019, particularly after the introduction of the voluntary rotavirus (RV)-vaccination program has been observed. Herein, we investigated the epidemiological situation of SaV infections from 2019 to 2022 when people adopted a precautionary lifestyle due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and RV vaccines had been implemented as routine vaccines. Stool samples were collected from children who attended outpatient clinics with acute gastroenteritis and analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to determine viral etiology.
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- SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that makes people very sick, and it's important to find ways to control it globally.
- Scientists are now using special cells called monolayered intestinal epithelial cells, which come from human stem cells, to study how this virus infects people.
- These special cells have important factors that help the virus infect, and researchers found that blocking one of these factors can stop the virus from spreading in the cells.
After rotavirus was discovered in 1973, it became the leading pathogen in causing acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. In this study, we performed whole genome sequencing and genomic characterization of a DS-1-like G2P[4] group A rotavirus in feces of a Japanese child with acute gastroenteritis who was fully Rotarix® vaccinated. The genomic investigation determined a genomic constellation G2-P[4]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2 of this rotavirus strain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Human astrovirus (HAstV) infection is one of the leading causes of acute gastroenteritis in young children. The present study reports the outbreak of HAstV in children with acute gastroenteritis in Kyoto, Japan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021.
Methods: A total of 61 stool samples were collected from children with acute gastroenteritis who visited a pediatric outpatient clinic in Maizuru city, Kyoto, Japan from July to October, 2021.
Rotavirus A (RVA) is an important cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children. This study aims to investigate the molecular epidemiology of RVA in children hospitalized with AGE in Chiang Rai, Thailand in 2018-2020 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Of 302 samples, RVA was detected in 11.
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- - This study assessed the effectiveness and safety of combining radiation therapy with atezolizumab for bladder cancer treatment in patients who couldn't undergo surgery.
- - Out of 45 patients treated, 84.4% achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR), especially in older adults and those with high PD-L1 tumor expression.
- - While 93.3% experienced side effects, mostly mild to moderate ones like diarrhea, the overall results suggest that this combination therapy may be a viable option for preserving the bladder.