Characteristics of gram-negative bacteremia during febrile neutropenia among allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients on levofloxacin prophylaxis

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases - The aim of this study is to clarify the characteristics of gram-negative bacteremia (GNB), including extended-spectrum...     

Monte Carlo simulation of the acquisition conditions for 177Lu molecular imaging of hepatic tumors

Annals of Nuclear Medicine - To examine the impact of acquisition time on Lutetium-177 (177Lu) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images using Monte Carlo simulation. A gamma camera...     

Effects of idursulfase enzyme replacement therapy for Mucopolysaccharidosis type II when started in early infancy: Comparison in two siblings

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II) is a lysosomal storage disorder that is progressive and involves multiple organs and tissues. While enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with idursulfase has been shown to improve many somatic features of the disease, some such as dysostosis multiplex and cardiac valve disease appear irreversible once established, and little is known about the preventative effects of ERT in pre-symptomatic patients. We report on two siblings with severe MPS II caused by an inversion mutation with recombination breakpoints located within the IDS gene and its adjacent pseudogene, IDS-2. The siblings initiated treatment with idursulfase at 3.0 years (older brother) and 4 months (younger brother) of age, and we compared their outcomes following 2 years of treatment. At the start of treatment, the older brother showed typical features of MPS II, including intellectual disability. After 34 months of ERT, his somatic disease was stable or improved, but he continued to decline cognitively. By comparison, after 32 months of ERT his younger brother remained free from most of the somatic features that had already appeared in his brother at the same age, manifesting only exudative otitis media. Skeletal X-rays revealed characteristic signs of dysostosis multiplex in the older brother at the initiation of treatment that were unchanged two years later, whereas the younger brother showed only slight findings of dysostosis multiplex throughout the treatment period. The younger brother's developmental quotient trended downward over time to just below the normal range. These findings suggest that pre-symptomatic initiation of ERT may prevent or attenuate progression of the somatic features of MPS II. Follow-up in a larger number of patients is required to confirm the additive long-term benefits of ERT in pre-symptomatic patients.     

First report of Trichinella pseudospiralis in Poland, in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Nematode worms of the genus Trichinella are one of the most widespread zoonotic pathogens. Natural transmission between hosts can only occur through the ingestion of infected meat. To date, two Trichinella species are known to be etiological agents of disease among domestic animals and wildlife in Poland: T. spiralis and T. britovi. In the last decades, since the administration of an oral vaccination against rabies, the red fox population in Poland has increased exponentially. The study area covers the Nowy Targ region: a mountainous area (585–1138 m above the sea) in southern Poland. Of 24 red foxes examined in the study, four were infected with Trichinella isolates: three were identified as T. britovi and one as T. pseudospiralis. The muscle of red foxes infected with T. britovi harboured 2.75, 3.11, 4.4 LPG and with T. pseudospiralis 0.36 LPG. Trichinella larvae were identified at species level by genomic and mitochondrial multiplex PCR, the products of which were sequenced for comparison with other sequences available in GenBank. The sequences obtained from the Polish T. pseudospiralis isolate, deposited in GenBank under the accession numbers JQ809660.1 and JQ809661.1, matched sequences already published in GenBank. Sequence comparison showed a 100% match with the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene of T. pseudospiralis isolate ISS 013, and a 96–95% match with those of T. pseudospiralis isolates ISS 141 and ISS 470. This is the first report of the identification of T. pseudospiralis larvae from red fox in Poland.     

Effects of electrical microstimulation of peripheral sympathetic nervous fascicle on glucose uptake in rats

Artificial pancreas systems control insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Although these systems are widely used in the clinical setting, they are still fraught with structural and biological problems. The non-insulin mediated glucose uptake (NIMGU) mechanism could be an alternative candidate as a target system for the artificial control of peripheral glucose uptake. Although the sympathetic nervous system is known to be one of the regulators of NIMGU, the effects of peripheral sympathetic activation on glucose uptake have not been well documented. We electrically stimulated a sympathetic nerve fascicle to clarify the possibility of controlling peripheral glucose uptake. A sympathetic signal was microneurographically obtained in the unilateral sciatic nerve in normal (NRML), insulin-resistant high-fat-fed (HFF), and streptozotocin-induced insulin-depleted (STZ) rats, and electrical stimulation was applied via the microelectrode (microstimulation). The microstimulation was also applied to sites other than the sympathetic fascicles in an additional group of normal rats (NSYMP group). The stimulation applied to the sympathetic fibers resulted in an immediate and transient decrease of blood glucose (BG) in the NRML, HFF, and STZ groups, with little change in the plasma insulin. The change in BG level seemed to depend on the basal BG level (NRML < HFF < STZ). In contrast, no reduction in BG was observed in the NSYMP group. These results suggest that microstimulation in the peripheral sympathetic fascicle could enhance glucose uptake in peripheral tissues—independently of insulin function—and show an alternative possibility for controlling glucose uptake.     

Unilateral pulmonary agenesis associated with oesophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula: A case report with prenatal diagnosis

We describe herein a case of unilateral pulmonary agenesis (PA) with oesophageal atresia (EA)/tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) that was diagnosed prenatally and repaired by esophagoesophagostomy with stable postoperative course. The patient was born at 34 weeks gestation, after ultrasonography at 22 weeks gestation showed possible right-sided diaphragmatic eventration or PA and EA was subsequently suspected due to hydramnios. The initial X-ray showed mediastinal shift to the right, and coil up sign of the nasogastric tube, without intracardiac anomaly. Immediately after the diagnosis of EA/TEF and unilateral PA on day 0, the patient was intubated in the operating room, and a gastrostomy tube was placed. After pulmonary status stabilized, at 4 days old, EA/TEF was repaired through a thoracotomy in the right 4^th intercostal space. The right main bronchus was noted to continue into the distal oesophagus; this fistula was ligated and divided, and a single-layer esophagoesophagostomy was performed under mild tension with one vertebral gap. The neonate was maintained on mechanical ventilation and gradually weaned to extubation at 7 days old. The postoperative course was uneventful, with the exception of prolonged jaundice that emerged at 3 months old. Laparoscopic cholangiography at that time excluded biliary atresia, and jaundice resolved spontaneously. The patient has not shown any respiratory symptoms or feeding difficulties as of the 12-month follow-up.