The management of macrolide-resistant Mycobacterium avium complex (MR-MAC) pulmonary disease is difficult and is thought to be analogous to that of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
This ...study aimed to clarify the cause of MR-MAC, to see how its management affected outcome, and to compare its prognosis with that of MDR-TB.
The medical records of 102 consecutive cases with MR-MAC pulmonary disease at three tertiary hospitals for mycobacteriosis in metropolitan Tokyo and one in Aichi prefecture from 2005 to 2014 were reviewed. The data of 311 consecutive cases with MDR-TB were extracted from the medical data at Fukujuji Hospital.
Of the 90 patients who met the criteria, 53 (58.9%) received inappropriate first-line treatment, and 28 (31.1%) deviated from the standard treatment because of the adverse effects of ethambutol. The survival rates for MR-MAC disease and MDR-TB were not significantly different (P = 0.6). Multivariate analysis showed that the combination of aminoglycoside and surgery resulted in the best treatment outcome (P = 0.02), although neither of the two factors reached significance by themselves. The continuation of clarithromycin and the addition of fluoroquinolones did not improve the outcome for the treatment of disease caused by MR-MAC.
Inappropriate prescription patterns and deviations from the standard treatment because of adverse drug reactions appeared to be the main causes of macrolide resistance in this patient series. Drug sensitivity testing should be performed at diagnosis to identify macrolide resistance and patients who may benefit from other therapy.
The QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) was introduced in 2015 as a new generation of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) designed to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (TB). Examination ...of its diagnostic accuracy is crucial before it is launched in Japan.
We examined 99 patients with laboratory-confirmed active TB (patients) and 117 healthy volunteers with no risk of TB infection (controls) at a medical center in Tokyo, Japan. Blood samples were collected from both the patients and controls and tested using three types of IGRAs: the QFT-Plus, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT), and the T-SPOT.TB (T-SPOT). The sensitivity and specificity of each IGRA were examined and compared.
The sensitivity of the QFT-Plus was 98.9% (95% confidence interval CI, 0.934–0.998) and similar to that of the QFT-GIT (97.9%; 95% CI, 0.929–0.998) and T-SPOT (96.9%; 95% CI, 0.914–0.994). The specificity of the QFT-Plus was the same as that of the QFT-GIT and T-SPOT (98.1%; 95% CI, 0.934–0.998). One patient with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus showed negative results on all three IGRAs.
The QFT-Plus showed a high degree of agreement with the QFT-GIT and T-SPOT, with high sensitivity and specificity. Severe diabetes mellitus may influence the results of IGRAs. Larger studies are needed to validate the accuracy of the GFT-Plus and determine whether it can contribute as adjunctive method for the early diagnosis of active TB in Japan.
Mobile apps have been considered to provide active and continuous support for smoking cessation. However, it is yet to be known whether a smoking cessation smartphone app improves long-term ...abstinence rates in nicotine-dependent patients.
This study aimed to evaluate the long-term abstinence effect of a novel smartphone app, CureApp Smoking Cessation (CASC), in patients with nicotine dependence.
In this prospective, interventional, multicenter, single-arm study, we provided the CASC app to all the participants, who used it daily for 24 weeks. The CASC app includes features to maximize the therapeutic effect of pharmacological therapies and counseling at outpatient clinics for smoking cessation. The primary endpoint was a continuous abstinence rate (CAR) from weeks 9 to 24, whereas secondary endpoints were CARs from weeks 9 to 12 and 9 to 52.
Of the 56 adult smokers recruited, 1 did not download the app; therefore, 55 participants constituted the full analysis sample. The CAR from weeks 9 to 24 was 64% (35/55, 95% CI 51%-76%), whereas the CARs from weeks 9 to 12 and 9 to 52 were 76% (42/55, 95% CI 65%-88%) and 58% (32/55, 95% CI 46%-71%), respectively. These CARs were better than the results of the national survey on outpatient clinics with regard to smoking cessation under the National Health Insurance Program and that of the varenicline phase 3 trial in Japan and the United States. There was only 1 participant who dropped out during the 12 weeks of the treatment period. This treatment decreased the scores related to withdrawal and craving symptoms.
The addition of CASC to usual smoking cessation therapies resulted in high CARs, high patient retention rates, and improvement of cessation-related symptoms. The smartphone app CASC is a feasible and useful tool to help long-term continuous abstinence that can be combined with a standard smoking cessation treatment program.
In Japan, 20–50 cases of leptospirosis are reported annually, typically involving farmers or returnees from tropical areas. Here, we report on 5 indigenous leptospirosis cases that occurred in the ...Tokyo urban area. All patients were men (mean age, 66.4 ± 4.6 SD years) and presented with clinical features that included high fever, acute kidney injury, and jaundice. Three patients presented with pulmonary infiltration and ground-glass opacity on admission. Two of the 5 patients were intubated and underwent continuous hemodiafiltration. The mean length of hospitalization was 38.0 ± 17.0 days, and all patients were treated successfully with antibiotics. Notably, all patients had a history of exposure to rats prior to becoming symptomatic, suggesting that exposure to rats is a risk factor for urban leptospirosis. Although rare, even in metropolitan areas, leptospirosis should be considered by physicians when patients present with severe sepsis, acute kidney injury, and a history of exposure to rats.
Monkeypox (mpox) is an acute exanthematous disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Since May 2022, patients with mpox have been reported worldwide, mainly in Europe and the Americas. In Japan, ...LC16"KMB," which is a smallpox vaccine derived from a dried cell culture, against mpox, has been approved. Although inoculation with a smallpox vaccine has been recommended to prevent MPXV infection, the immunogenicity of the smallpox vaccine against the MPXV is unclear, and information regarding postvaccination safety is scarce. We present the protocol for a single-arm open-label study to investigate the immunogenicity and safety of LC16"KMB" against the MPXV in healthy Japanese adults. The primary endpoint is the seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibodies against the MPXV on postvaccination day 28. The secondary endpoints are the seroconversion rates against the MPXV on postvaccination days 14 and 168; the seroconversion rates against the vaccinia virus on postvaccination days 14, 28, and 168; the incidence of mpox until day 168; and adverse and serious adverse events until postvaccination days 28 and 168. These results will pave the way for larger comparative studies using other smallpox vaccines to evaluate the test vaccine's safety and efficacy in preventing mpox.
A 63-year-old man was transferred to our hospital because of an exacerbation of asthma. His symptoms deteriorated even after increasing the dose of inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting ...beta2-adrenoceptor agonists (ICS/LABA). He had no chest pain and an electrocardiogram revealed ST elevation. A coronary angiogram revealed a reduced left ventricular function with an apical ballooning pattern without coronary stenosis. He was diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Catecholamine elevation due to acute asthma and an overdose of ICS/LABA may be triggers of this disease. We should remember that Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a complication of asthma and that catecholamine plays an important role in its onset, although it is essential for asthma treatment.
Nontuberculous mycobacterial bone infections among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients are rare, although a few studies have described such infections. We retrospectively reviewed ...the medical and microbiological data of HIV-negative osteomyelitis cases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria treated in our tertiary-care hospital over 14 years from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2013. Three HIV-negative patients had contracted bone infections due to nontuberculous mycobacteria. All of the patients had at least 1 predisposing condition that led to the infections: idiopathic CD4-positive lymphocytopenia and/or anti-interferon-γ autoantibody syndrome.
Purposes
Differential diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be difficult, but many gastroenterologists may only perform biopsy for pathology and their ...own experience. This study aimed to identify optimal sample collection and pathogen detection methods for diagnosing ITB.
Methods
A cohort of 182 patients (50 had ITB and 132 had IBD or other colonic diseases) who underwent colonoscopy was analyzed. Sensitivity of acid-fast bacilli (AFB), culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and granuloma pathology on hematoxylin and eosin stain for diagnosing ITB were compared in relation to biopsy, endoscopic aspirated intestinal fluid, or standard stool evaluations. We also evaluated which combination offered the highest yield to diagnose intestinal tuberculosis in addition to granuloma pathology.
Results
Between ITB and non-ITB, no significant differences were observed in age, sex, and nationality. In biopsy analysis, sensitivity was as follows: culture (50 %), AFB (38 %), PCR (25 %), granuloma pathology (51 %), and caseous granuloma (8.2 %), while specificity of granuloma pathology was low (80 %), compared to other tests. In intestinal fluid analysis, sensitivity was as follows: culture (46 %), AFB (42 %), and PCR (35 %). In standard stool analysis, sensitivity was as follows: culture (47 %), AFB (37 %), and PCR (23 %). Granuloma pathology plus biopsy culture offered the highest combination sensitivity (77 %), significantly (
P
< 0.01) higher than that for granuloma pathology alone (51 %).
Conclusions
When encountering suspected intestinal tuberculosis or IBD on colonoscopy, biopsy culture is recommended in addition to pathological assessment of granuloma. This diagnostic strategy will lead to accurate differential diagnosis of colonic disease, facilitating appropriate treatment.
A 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of massive hemoptysis with acute respiratory failure. Since six months ago, he noticed gradual worsening of hemoptysis and was transferred to ...our hospital. Chest computed tomography showed a nodular lesion with cavitation in the left upper lobe and surrounding ground-glass opacification. Initially, a hemostatic agent was administered, but we eventually performed bronchial artery embolization (BAE) by ourselves due to persistent hemoptysis. After achieving good hemostasis with BAE bronchoscopy was performed, which gave a diagnosis of pulmonary actinomycosis on histopathologic examination of the transbronchial biopsy specimen without the need for lung resection.
Abstract Background Mycobacterium scrofulaceum is a well-known pathogen associated with cervical lymphadenitis in children. However, pulmonary M. scrofulaceum disease is a rare condition with unknown ...clinical features. The present study aimed to clarify the clinical features of pulmonary M. scrofulaceum disease described in recent cases and reports. Methods We reviewed the medical records of all adult patients with pulmonary M. scrofulaceum disease at Keio University Hospital and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine Center Hospital between 2001 and 2011. We also conducted a review of the PubMed database to identify additional cases of pulmonary M. scrofulaceum disease in adults. Results Our study identified 8 cases of pulmonary M. scrofulaceum disease at the 2 identified institutions during our study period. Most cases were diagnosed in middle-aged and elderly men with underlying pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and M. avium complex lung disease, as well as those with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis. In contrast, most previously reported cases identified through our literature review had a history of dust inhalation or underlying silicosis. Three of 8 cases at our institutions and 20 of 23 cases from the literature were treated with combination therapies. Conclusions We conclude that in the recent histories of our institutions, pulmonary M. scrofulaceum disease has mainly occurred in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. We further conclude that combination therapies that include clarithromycin might yield better patient outcomes.
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