Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare radiation dose reduction capability for accurate liver tumor measurements of a computer-aided volumetry (CADv) software for filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid-type iterative reconstruction (IR), mode-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), and deep learning reconstruction (DLR) at a phantom study.
Methods: A commercially available anthropomorphic abdominal phantom was scanned five times with a 320-detector row CT at 600 mA, 400 mA, 200 mA, and 100 mA and reconstructed by four methods. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of all lesions within the arterial and portal-venous phase inserts were calculated, and SNR of the lesion phantom was compared with that of all reconstruction methods by means of Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test.
Exophiala dermatitidis is an emerging black fungus that causes pulmonary infections that may be underestimated by conventional culture methods. We encountered one case that initially appeared to be yeast and was misidentified as Rhodotorula spp. using a commercial identification kit.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe surface pre-reacted glass ionomer (S-PRG) filler is a type of bioactive functional glass that releases six different ions. This study examined the effects of the S-PRG filler eluate on in the presence of sucrose. In a solution containing , the concentrations of BO, Al, Sr, and F were significantly higher in the presence of the S-PRG filler eluate than in its absence ( < 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The diagnostic tools of nucleic acid amplification tests and antigen tests have been extensively employed for the detection of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT)-PCR test has high sensitivity and specificity, it is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. On the other hand, antigen tests are simple and prompt, however, their low sensitivity and potential for false positives have been identified as limitations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: The identification of factors associated with long-term prognosis after community-onset pneumonia in elderly patients should be considered when initiating advance care planning (ACP). We aimed to identify these factors and develop a prediction score model.
Methods: Patients aged 65 years and older, who were hospitalized for pneumonia at nine collaborating institutions, were included.
Background: Nursing- and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) constitutes most of the pneumonia in elderly patients including aspiration pneumonia in Japan. Lascufloxacin (LSFX) possesses broad antibacterial activity against respiratory pathogens, such as Streptococcus spp. And anaerobes inside the oral cavity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFactor XIII deficiency is an extremely rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder, occurring in 1 of 3-5 million people, and is associated with perinatal complications, such as habitual abortion and prolonged bleeding. Although plasma-derived factor XIII (Fibrogamin®) carries a risk of infection and contains very low concentrated forms of factor XIII (FXIII) used for a pregnant woman with congenital coagulation factor XIII deficiency, recombinant factor XIII (rFXIII, Novo Thirteen®; Tretten®, Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark), which has no risk of infection and is highly concentrated, has emerged as a novel formulation. Herein, we report the first case of a Japanese pregnant woman with congenital coagulation factor XIII deficiency successfully managed by rFXIII.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mucormycosis is a potentially fatal fungal infection, and there is limited information on its precise epidemiology and treatment practices, including the optimal dosage of liposomal amphotericin B.
Methods: A retrospective, multicenter, nationwide analysis of 82 proven and probable cases of mucormycosis was performed. Cases between 2015 and 2022 were collected from 51 hospitals in Japan by hematologists and infectious disease specialists.
Background: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is an invasive fungal infection with a poor prognosis that often occurs in both healthy individuals and compromised hosts, such as patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Unlike CM in HIV patients, evidence regarding CM in non-HIV patients is limited to small retrospective studies.
Objective: To identify the pretreatment prognostic factors for CM in non-HIV patients.
Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas. However, certain infections can exhibit similar histological findings. We present a case of a 69-year-old man who was initially diagnosed with sarcoidosis and later was confirmed, through 16S rRNA sequencing, to have disseminated infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFData on antifungal susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans are limited in Japan. A total of 89 C. neoformans strains isolated from 83 non-human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with cryptococcosis between 1997 and 2021 in Nagasaki, Japan, were investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies indicated potential harm from empirical broad-spectrum therapy. A recent study of hospitalizations for community-acquired pneumonia suggested that empirical anti-methicillin-resistant (MRSA) therapy was associated with an increased risk of death and other complications. However, limited evidence supports empirical anti-MRSA therapy for older patients with aspiration pneumonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTuberculous meningitis is an infectious disease with high mortality. Literature describing intrathecal therapy for tuberculous meningitis is scarce. We herein report a case of refractory tuberculous meningitis in a 52-year-old woman with underlying neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFollowing an endobronchial examination, a young mine supervisor was treated with antibiotics for a pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial infection for approximately one year. However, a review of the radiological findings revealed a different possibility. Accordingly, pulmonary resection was performed, and histopathological analysis revealed numerous yeast-like fungi.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effectiveness of population-wide compliance to personal precautions (mask-wearing and hand hygiene) in preventing community-acquired pneumonia has been unknown. In Japan, different types of nonpharmaceutical interventions from personal precautions to containment and closure policies (CACPs, e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOutbreaks of invasive infections, with high mortality rates, caused by multidrug-resistant have been reported worldwide. Although hotspot mutations in are an established cause of echinocandin resistance, the actual contribution of these mutations to echinocandin resistance remains unknown. Here, we sequenced the gene of a caspofungin-resistant clinical isolate (clade I) and identified a novel resistance mutation (G4061A inducing R1354H).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF