Correction to: Clinical guidelines for primary sclerosing cholangitis 2017

Journal of Gastroenterology - The article “Clinical guidelines for primary sclerosing cholangitis 2017”, written by Hiroyuki Isayama, Susumu Tazuma, Norihiro Kokudo, Atsushi Tanaka,...     

Cryptococcus gattii VGII in a Plathymenia reticulata hollow in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso,Brazil

Little is known about the ecology of agents of cryptococcosis in Mato Grosso, without any data regarding to the sources of both agents in the environment. This study aimed to investigate Cryptococcus gattii and Cryptococcus neoformans associated with decay in tree hollows within the urban area of three different cities of Mato Grosso. Seventy‐two environmental samples collected from 72 living trees in the cities of Cuiabá, Várzea Grande and Chapada dos Guimarães were sampled and analysed. One tree (Plathymenia reticulata, Leguminosae) in the city of Cuiabá yielded 19 colonies identified as C. gattii molecular type VGII. The isolation of C. gattii VGII in the downtown city of Cuiabá is important because it fits in the Northern Macroregion, suggesting expanding and urbanisation of this genotype in different Brazilian cities.     

Enlargement of the Anterior Horn of the Lateral Ventricle in Schizophrenic Patients: Chronological and Morphometrical Studies

Abstract: The anterior horn and lateral ventricular sizes of the brain CT were selected for measurement and comparison between 47 schizophrenic patients and 48 neurotic cases, which constituted the control subjects. The ventricular brain ratio (VBR) and the linear ratio (LR 1–6) in multiple age groups were calculated, analyzed and compared using the Student's t test, the two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's methods. It was found that the VBR of the anterior horn and modified bicaudate cerebroventricular index of the teenage schizophrenics were significantly greater than those of the teenage controls (p < 0.01) and the ventricular sizes were not associated with the different stages of age except for the cases of the teenage group. These results support the hypothesis of previous investigators that the ventricular enlargement is present early in the course of schizophrenia and provide additional evidence that in teenage schizophrenic patients there is a tendency of the enlargement of the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle which may be related with a morphological vulnerability in the prefrontal cortex.     

Helicobacter pylori infection does not accelerate the age-related progression of arteriosclerosis: A 4-year follow-up study

Background and Aim:  Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection has been reported to correlate with the onset of cardiovascular diseases. However, the relationship between H. pylori infection and the progression of arteriosclerosis has not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to clarify the possible role of H. pylori infection in the development of arteriosclerosis.
Methods:  Study subjects were 258 cases who attended their annual medical check-ups and were twice investigated by the parameters of arteriosclerosis at a 4-year interval. Arteriosclerotic parameters (systolic blood pressure [SBP]), ankle brachial index [ABI], and pulse wave velocity [PWV]) were measured non-invasively using an automatic device. H. pylori -infection status was determined by assaying serum anti- H. pylori IgG antibodies. The changes in the arteriosclerotic parameters during the 4 years were compared between H. pylori -seropositive and seronegative individuals.
Results:  A total of 166 subjects (64.3%) were H. pylori -seropositive. After adjustment for gender, age, body mass index, and smoking and drinking habits, there were no differences in any of the arteriosclerotic parameters between the groups, not only at enrollment but after the 4 years, although the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of the seropositive groups were significantly lower than those of seronegative groups. SBP and PWVs were significantly increased during 4 years in both the seropositive and seronegative groups. The percentage of changes in SBP and PWVs, which were calculated by ([values after 4 years – values at enrollment/values at enrollment] × 100), did not differ between the groups.
Conclusion:  H. pylori infection does not accelerate the age-related progression of arteriosclerosis in Japanese individuals.     

En Bloc Resection of an Aggressive Angiomyxoma by a Novel Combination Laparoscopic and Open Perineal Approach

Study Objective

To show a novel combination laparoscopic and open perineal approach to complete resection of aggressive angiomyxoma.

Improved clinical outcome of patients with Candida bloodstream infections through direct consultation by infectious diseases physicians in a Japanese university hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether intervention by infectious diseases physicians (IDPs) in the treatment decisions that emphasize adequate antifungal treatment and early removal of central venous catheter for patients with Candida bloodstream infection (BSI) improves prognosis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of patients with Candida BSI, comparing the prognosis of patients before and after the start of the intervention. SETTING: A 1,240-bed, tertiary care university hospital. PATIENTS: Forty patients with Candida BSI during a 2-year period, from January 2001 to December 2002, were included in the study. Twenty-three patients in the first year after the start of intervention by IDPs (intervention group) were compared with 17 patients in the first year before the start of the IDP intervention (baseline group). INTERVENTIONS: In January 2002, a total of 5 IDPs at Kyoto University Hospital gave unsolicited recommendations on antifungal treatment and advised all physicians treating inpatients who had Candida BSI to remove the central venous catheter. RESULTS: No significant difference was seen between the 2 groups in patients' clinical background, species, and fluconazole susceptibility of the causative organisms. The 30-day survival rate was significantly better in the intervention group (18 [78%] of 23 patients) than in the baseline group (7 [44%] of 16 patients; P=.04 by Fisher's exact test). More patients in the intervention group than in the baseline group received appropriate antifungal therapy (81% vs 50%) and had their central venous catheter removed at an appropriate time (95% vs 81%). CONCLUSION: The introduction of an active system of IDP consultation for every case of Candida BSI in our hospital substantially improved patient outcomes.     

Major linear IgE epitopes of mountain cedar pollen allergen Jun a 1 map to the pectate lyase catalytic site

Resolution of the 3D structures and IgE epitopes of allergens may identify common or conserved features of allergens. Jun a 1, the predominant allergen in mountain cedar pollen, was chosen as a model for identifying common structural and functional features among a group of plant allergens. In this study, synthetic, overlapping peptides of Jun a 1 and sera from patients allergic to mountain cedar pollen were used to identify linear epitopes. A 3D model of Jun a 1 was produced using the Bacillus subtiles pectate lyase (PL) as a template and validated with biophysical measurements. This allowed mappings of four IgE binding sites on Jun a 1. Two of the epitopes mapped to turns or loops on the surface of the model structure. The other two epitopes mapped to the beta-sheet region, homologous to the catalytic site of PL. This region of Jun a 1 is highly conserved in the group 1 allergens from other cedar trees as well as microbial PLs. The finding that two out of three major IgE epitopes map to highly conserved catalytic regions of group 1 cedar allergens may help to explain the high degree of cross-reactivity between cedar pollen allergens and might represent a pattern of reactivity common to other allergens with catalytic activity.