Photoplethysmography (PPG) or photoreflexometry (PRM): principle and reproducibility (study of the validity of the method in healthy subjects)

Photoplethysmography, a non-invasive vascular exploratory test, has recently made great in the evaluation of venous haemodynamics. The principle of Photoplethysmography uses the cutaneous reflection of infrared light in the intradermal venous plexi. Then methods are presented for a reliable implementation of the tests. Validity of the method is verified by applying statistical tests to measurements carried out in two healthy subjects. In conclusion, Photoplethysmography may be produced, providing that the method used is strict, that three successive measurements are carried out, so that only the mean value is considered; because of the low value of the variability index of the total filling time, this parameter is used in the interpretation of the method.     

Rapid and simple method for the detection of shigatoxins (STxs)

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is an emerged bacterial agent as the cause of bloody diarrhea and a leading cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome in children. In our country, serotype O 157:H7 is the predominant pathogen in the EHEC and the most frequently seen in human infections. The clinical disease is not associated with the STx types produced by the infecting strains. Non-O157 serotypes of EHEC also produce STxs, and infections with some non-O157 EHEC are occasionally associated with the illness caused by O157:H7. A rapid and simple enzyme immunoassay method (EIA) for the detection of STxs was established. This method is based on the use of anti-STx1 or anti-STx2 monoclonal antibody-labelled colloidal gold for detective factor and also used each anti-STx antibody for the capture antibody. The supernatant was used as the test sample after centrifugation of bacterial suspension treated with polymixin B (5,000 u/ml). These EIA-tests were specific for all supernatants of EHEC serotypes used, giving positive reactions (more than 1:16-32) by the RPLA method, and permitted the detection of ca. 203-812 pg of STx1 or STx2 in a 130 microliters applied to this test. This method will be an extremely useful tool for the detection of STxs from isolates or bacteria on selective agar-plates.     

False positive serology for visceral leishmanias (kala-azar) using the indirect haemagglutination (IHA) method.

Persistent false serology for kala-azar using the indirect haemagglutination technique is described in two patients. One patient had Behcet's disease and the other infective endocarditis.     

A modified method (MK method) of alcohol septal ablation for the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopahty

Alcohol septal ablation is widely accepted as a therapeutic option for the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopahty. The selection of an appropriate target vessel is key for an effective and safe procedure. The target vessel sometimes bifurcates from the non‐left anterior descending coronary artery, in which case these vessels are sometimes difficult to select with a wire and deliver a balloon catheter. The combined use of a microcatheter and a balloon catheter is one of the choices for treatment of patients with this type of challenging anatomy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

改进的比较基因组杂交方法

比较基因组杂交（ｃｏｍｐａｒａｔｉｖｅｇｅｎｏｍｉｃｈｙｂｒｉｄｉｚａｉｓｎ，ＣＧＨ）是直接检测全基因组中缺失和扩增的新方法，本工作对ＣＧＨ程序作了两处简化，这种改进的ＧＣＨ显示两个基本相同的基国组ＤＮＡ无差别，并能显示已知的染色体缺失和扩增。     

Usefulness of arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) method for DNA fingerprinting analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB); comparison between DNA restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) method and AP-PCR method

We have been analyzing cases suspected as outbreak of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Tokyo using RFLP method. This time we analyzed 27 strains of MTB from 5 cases in two hospitals, a family, member of social activity and stuff of a corporation using both RFLP and AP-PCR methods. At 4 cases, over 80% of strains were same pattern in each cases with RFLP and AP-PCR and were identified as a patient to patients transmission of MTB. At one case, in a hospital, each strains were completely different patterns at both methods, which showed it was not a outbreak case. Results of RFLP and AP-PCR were completely same, which indicates AP-PCR is also useful and rapid method for epidemiological analysis of MTB infection as well as RFLP.