Nosocomial infection by human bocavirus and human rhinovirus among paediatric patients with respiratory risks

BACKGROUND

Nosocomial infections by respiratory viruses undetected by rapid tests are not often diagnosed. For paediatric patients with background diseases, nosocomial infection could be fatal.

AIM

To determine the relationship between developing symptoms by respiratory viruses undetectable by rapid tests and respiratory risks and to improve the management of infection control.

METHODS

Two episodes of nosocomial infection by human bocavirus (HBoV) and human rhinovirus (HRV) were retrospectively investigated in a tertiary hospital paediatric ward in Japan. Viruses were identified by polymerase chain reaction to determine infection control management. When viruses of the same species were detected from different patients, the virus homology was investigated. The relationship between respiratory risks and developing symptoms was statistically investigated.

FINDINGS

Three and four patients with respiratory risks in the HBoV and HRV outbreaks, respectively, developed respiratory symptoms. The nucleotide sequences of two patients in the HBoV outbreak and all four patients in the HRV outbreak were phylogenetically close. In both outbreaks, the patients with respiratory risks developed significantly more symptoms than those without any risk (P = 0.035 and 0.018, respectively). After the patients with respiratory infection were separated from those with respiratory risks, no additional nosocomial infection occurred.

CONCLUSION

Patients with respiratory risks easily develop respiratory symptoms and acquire severe symptoms of nosocomial infection by those viruses. In a paediatric ward, we should adopt not only standard precautions but also isolation management of the patients with respiratory symptoms, even if they have negative results in rapid tests.

Effects of a combined exercise plus diet program on cardiorespiratory fitness of breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Decreases in cardiorespiratory fitness among breast cancer patients have often been reported in previous studies, affecting patients' health and survival. Peak oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]) is the gold standard for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness and is inversely correlated with cardiovascular disease among women with breast cancer. Some previous studies have reported that aerobic exercise and proper diet positively influence [Formula: see text]. However, almost all studies have been conducted in the Western countries, and few studies are investigating on Asian women who have lower BMI compared with Western ones.

PURPOSE

Investigating the effects of a combined exercise and diet program among Japanese cancer patients undergoing therapy on [Formula: see text].

METHODS

Thirty-two Japanese women with breast cancer undergoing endocrine therapy (age; 50 ± 6 years, body weight; 59 ± 10 kg) were voluntarily assigned to either intervention group (n = 21) or control group (n = 11). The intervention group completed a 12-week combined exercise plus diet program, consisting of weekly aerobic exercise and maintaining a nutritionally well-balanced 1200 kcal/day diet. The control group was instructed to continue with their usual activities. Anthropometric indices and [Formula: see text] were measured at baseline and after the 12-week program.

RESULTS

All 21 women completed the 12-week program. The [Formula: see text] significantly increased from 26.7 to 30.4 mL/kg/min (1.57-1.62 L/min) in the intervention group, while it remained unchanged (26.9-26.9 mL/kg/min) in the control group. Mean reduction of body mass index was - 2.1 in the intervention group (P < .001) and + 0.1 in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our combined exercise plus diet program may contribute to improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness and body weight compared with control group.

Cross-Sectional Inverse Association of Regular Soy Intake with Insulin Resistance in Japanese Elderly

Levels of isoflavones, biomarkers of soy intake, in 24-hour urine (24U) were inversely related to coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in the World Health Organization's Cardiovascular Disease and Alimentary Comparison Study. Considering 24 U isoflavone levels were highest and CHD mortality was lowest in the Japanese, who maintained the world's longest life expectancy, the association of regular soy intake with cardiometabolic risk was investigated in Japanese adults (20-49 years old) and elderly (50-79 years old). In multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, and drug treatments, mean 24 U isoflavone excretion was significantly inversely associated with insulin resistance in the elderly and significantly associated with blood folate and potassium in the elderly, but also positively associated with 24 U salt in the elderly. These findings indicate that low-salt soy should be recommended to improve glucose metabolism in elderly Japanese.

Immunohistochemical Analysis of Human Lung Cancers with Anti-ras p21 Monoclonal Antibodies

The expression of ras oncogene product p21 in human malignant pleurisy and primary lung cancer was studied immunocyto-histochemically with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) rp-28 and rp-35 against ras p21. In pleural effusion cells, cancer cells revealed more intensively positive reaction with MoAb rp-35 than with MoAb rp-28, especially in the plasma membrane, and no positive reaction was obtained in any kind of inflammation cells with the exception of faintly positive reaction in the cytoplasm of macrophages.

In primary lung cancers, well or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma tissues showed higher reactivity with MoAb rp-28 than those of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or any other histological subtype of lung cancer. With MoAb rp-35, intensively positive reaction was obtained in most of cases with all different histological subtypes of lung cancer. The staining in cancer cells was usually localized intensively to the plasma membrane and weakly to the cytoplasm with both MoAbs. Normal bronchial epithelial and glandular tissues showed only cytoplasmic staining. These two MoAbs, especially MoAb rp-35, may be useful in clinicopathological applications for the diagnosis of malignant pleurisy and primary lung cancer.

SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACIDS UPREGULATE ADIPOKINE PRODUCTION IN TYPE 2 DIABETES-DERIVED HUMAN ADIPOCYTES

PURPOSE

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) play a major regulatory role in adipocyte function and metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of SCFAs on adiponectin and leptin expression in adipocytes, and also to determine whether the effects of SCFA treatment in visceral adipocytes obtained from healthy subjects are different relative to the effects in adipocytes from patients with type 2 diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Human pericardiac preadipocytes and human pericardiac preadipocytes type 2 diabetes were differentiated into adipocytes for 21 days in 48-well plates. After differentiation, two kinds of mature adipocytes, human pericardiac adipocytes (HPAd) and human pericardiac adipocytes-type 2 diabetes (HPAd-T2D) were incubated with or without 1 mM of acetic acid (AA), butyrate acid (BA), and propionic acid (PA). After 48 hours of incubation, intracellular lipid accumulation was measured using oil red staining. In addition, mRNA levels of adiponectin, leptin and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ (PPARγ) were determined by Real-Time PCR system.

RESULTS

In HPAd, SCFA supplementation did not inhibit lipid accumulation. By contrast, both AA (p<0.01) and PA (p<0.01) significantly inhibited lipid accumulation in HPAd-T2D. Regarding mRNA levels of adiponectin, no significant changes were found in HPAd, while all three types of SCFAs significantly increased (p<0.05) adiponectin expression in HPAd-T2D. Leptin mRNA expression levels were significantly increased by treatment with all three types of SCFAs in both HPAd (p<0.05) and HPAd-T2D (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

SCFAs inhibited lipid droplet accumulation and increased mRNA expression of adiponectin and leptin in T2D-derived adipocytes.

Adsorption of Lipoprotein Containing Apolipoprotein-B through Plasma Separation for Treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolemia

For the treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia, Liposorber LA-40 was clinically applied. The Liposorber is a commercially developed affinity adsorbent for plasma perfusion which selectivily adsorbs low density lipoproteins and very low density lipoproteins and is specially designed for plasmapheretic treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

The Liposorber column, containing activated cellulose beads having an affinity for liporpotein containing apolipoprotein-B, has an excellent adsorption capacity, excellent selectivity, minimum albumin loss. This new apheresis system was applied to 2 clinical cases.

After seven months of trial perfusion every 2 weeks, patient condition was good, with a level of total cholesterol under 300 mg/dl. No replacement fluids were given during or after treatment.

In this paper, clinical results of these patients were shown and the mechanism of adsorption of this specific adsorbent was discussed.