Review
Immunology
Tal Marom, Jacob Pitaro, Udayan K. Shah, Sara Torretta, Paola Marchisio, Ayan T. Kumar, Patrick C. Barth, Sharon Ovnat Tamir
Summary: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the management of pediatric infectious diseases, including AOM. The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is responsible for COVID-19, and previous coronavirus serotypes were rarely detected in AOM cases. Preventive measures and changes in healthcare practices have affected the diagnosis and treatment of AOM during the pandemic.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Nicole Favre, Vijay A. Patel, Michele M. Carr
Summary: This study evaluated the incidence and management of complications related to pediatric acute mastoiditis using data from a national database, finding that children with intracranial complications are more likely to undergo surgical procedures with wide variability in practice patterns, indicating persistent controversies in the management of otitis media complications.
OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD AND NECK SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Tugba Erat, Isa An
Summary: The efficacy and safety of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) in pediatric cutaneous leishmaniasis patients were evaluated in this study. The results showed a low treatment success rate with the L-AmB dose used in the study.
DERMATOLOGIC THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniela Peruzzu, Katia Fecchi, Giulietta Venturi, Maria Cristina Gagliardi
Summary: Mpox, caused by the mpox virus (MPXV), has sparked great concern with a multi-country outbreak in 2022. The majority of cases are observed in Europe and are unrelated to travel or contact with infected individuals. Close sexual contact plays an important role in MPXV transmission, particularly in people with multiple sexual partners and men who have sex with men. Vaccines based on Vaccinia virus (VACV) have shown cross-reactive and protective immune response, but their efficacy against the 2022 Mpox outbreak is limited. There are currently no specific antiviral drugs for Mpox. However, the antifungal drug Amphotericin B (AmphB) has the potential to inhibit MPXV infection by disrupting lipid rafts and altering receptor/co-receptor distribution, providing an alternative therapeutic approach.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Oskar Feussner, Roland Haase, Jan Baier
Summary: In this case report, we describe a 13-year-old boy who experienced a life-threatening complication of acute otitis media due to an underlying cerebral malformation. Imaging revealed mastoiditis and a cystoid mass compressing the brainstem in the left cerebellopontine angle, along with an Arnold-Chiari malformation. Laboratory examination and pathological evaluation confirmed an inflammatory etiology. Streptococcus intermedius was detected in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures. The patient's brain death allowed for organ donation. This case highlights the importance of vigilance and follow-up when patients present with symptoms after assumed resolution of otitis media.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Andrew A. Voak, Andy Harris, Jose Miguel Coteron-Lopez, Inigo Angulo-Barturen, Santiago Ferrer-Bazaga, Simon L. Croft, Karin Seifert
Summary: This study characterized the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of anti-leishmanial drugs AmBisome and miltefosine in a mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis. Optimal dosing strategies for AmBisome were proposed, demonstrating a wider therapeutic range compared to miltefosine. The study also highlighted the importance of using animal models in drug development for visceral leishmaniasis.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Michal Kotowski, Jaroslaw Szydlowski
Summary: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare condition with diverse clinical presentations and causes, including local infections such as acute or chronic otitis media. The proximity of the middle ear to the dural venous sinuses can lead to secondary thrombosis. Inflammatory responses and coagulation activation triggered by infection may contribute to the development of venous sinus thrombosis in the central nervous system. Treatment options for otogenic cerebral venous sinus thrombosis are still debated, including the extent of surgery and use of anticoagulants. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the literature on CVST in patients with AOM and AM, discussing current treatment strategies and emphasizing predisposing factors, surgical approaches, and the role of anticoagulants.
NEUROLOGY AND THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Alessandro C. Pasqualotto, Daiane Dalla Lana, Cassia S. M. Godoy, Terezinha do Menino Jesus Silva Leitao, Monica B. Bay, Lisandra Serra Damasceno, Renata B. A. Soares, Roger Kist, Larissa R. Silva, Denusa Wiltgen, Marineide Melo, Taiguara F. Guimaraes, Marilia R. Guimaraes, Hareton T. Vechi, Jaco R. L. de Mesquita, Gloria Regina de G. Monteiro, Antoine Adenis, Nathan C. Bahr, Andrej Spec, David R. Boulware, Dennis Israelski, Tom Chiller, Diego R. Falci
Summary: This is the first trial to show that AIDS patients with disseminated histoplasmosis can be safely and effectively treated with a single high dose of liposomal amphotericin B (10 mg/kg).
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Danfeng Ren, Wenya Cao, Xiaojing Liu, Qunying Han, Wanhu Fan, Guoliang Li, Han Xia, Xi Zhang
Summary: This study presented four cases of visceral leishmaniasis treated with low-dose L-AmB therapy, demonstrating the safety and efficacy of this novel treatment protocol for VL patients. The treatment resulted in high cure rates without severe complications.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Su Young Jung, Dokyoung Kim, Dong Choon Park, Eun Hye Lee, Yong-Sung Choi, Jeewon Ryu, Sang Hoon Kim, Seung Geun Yeo
Summary: Otitis media is caused by various factors including infections, anatomo-physiological abnormalities, allergies, and environmental influences. This study highlights the immune responses in otitis media patients, focusing on antibodies and transcription factors produced by B cells, as well as the important functions of B cells in immune defense.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Si Luo, Han Wen, Meihong Zhou, Chengsi Wu, Daojun Hong
Summary: This article describes a case of late-onset reversible encephalopathy associated with liposomal amphotericin B in a patient with cryptococcal meningitis.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Rogayeh Seify, Fahimeh Zahednezhad, Parvin Zakeri-Milani, Hadi Valizadeh
Summary: The study aimed to explore and evaluate suitable methods for preparing Amphotericin B (AmB) liposomes with acceptable characteristics. The project provides pre-formulations for industrial manufacturing of liposomal AmB, which have improved properties and reduced toxicity compared to plain drug.
DRUG DEVELOPMENT AND INDUSTRIAL PHARMACY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Niamh O'Grady, Matthew Davis, Dayna McManus, Jeffrey Topal, Marwan M. Azar, Neima Briggs
Summary: Liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) is a preferred agent for the treatment of opportunistic fungal and parasitic infections in pregnant patients, but optimal dosing regimens are still unclear. This review describes the use of LAmB for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) in a pregnant patient with a dosing strategy using ideal body weight. Current guidelines and literature lack recommendations for dosing weight in pregnancy. Using ideal body weight may minimize adverse effects to the fetus while maintaining efficacy for treatment of MCL in pregnancy.
Review
Otorhinolaryngology
Jose Luis Trevino Gonzalez, Laura Lisset Reyes Suarez, Jesus Eduardo Hernandez de Leon
Summary: Malignant otitis externa is an infection affecting the external auditory canal and skull base, most commonly caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in diabetic, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. Clinical manifestations include persistent ear pain, chronic otorrhea, and facial nerve palsy. Diagnosis involves CT scan and Technetium-99m, while treatment requires individualized approach and strict diabetes control, with surgical management recommended for refractory cases.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Meirav Sokolov, Sharon Tzelnick, Sagit Stern, Ohad Hilly, Oded Scheuermanz, Eyal Raveh, David Ulanovski
Summary: The study found that children aged 6 months or younger with acute mastoiditis have a similar presentation and characteristics as older children, but typical symptoms in younger children include pre-auricular swelling and bilateral acute otitis media. In both age groups, Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified as the most common pathogen.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Muneyoshi Kimura, Yuki Asano-Mori, Takashi Sakoh, Masahiro Abe, Keigo Ueno, Yasutaka Hoshino, Shigeki Nakamura, Takashi Umeyama, Satoshi Yamagoe, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Masaru Baba, Chikako Okada, Sho Ogura, Takashi Mitsuki, Kyosuke Yamaguchi, Mitsuhiro Yuasa, Daisuke Kaji, Kosei Kageyama, Aya Nishida, Yuki Taya, Kazuya Ishiwata, Shinsuke Takagi, Hisashi Yamamoto, Go Yamamoto, Naoyuki Uchida, Atsushi Wake, Shuichi Taniguchi, Hideki Araoka
Summary: Limited data are available on breakthrough fungemia in patients with hematological disorders. This study reviewed cases of breakthrough fungemia among adult patients with hematological diseases between 2008 and 2019. The results demonstrate the clinical characteristics and mortality factors associated with breakthrough fungemia in this patient population.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Ryosuke Yamamuro, Muneyoshi Kimura, Yuki Asano-Mori, Masahiro Abe, Shigeki Nakamura, Takashi Umeyama, Satoshi Yamagoe, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Sho Ogura, Takashi Sakoh, Takashi Mitsuki, Kyosuke Yamaguchi, Mitsuhiro Yuasa, Daisuke Kaji, Kosei Kageyama, Aya Nishida, Yuki Taya, Kazuya Ishiwata, Shinsuke Takagi, Hisashi Yamamoto, Go Yamamoto, Naoyuki Uchida, Atsushi Wake, Shuichi Taniguchi, Hideki Araoka
Summary: There are limited studies on the clinical course of rare/cryptic species-induced invasive aspergillosis (IA) in allo-HSCT recipients. In this retrospective study, it was found that more than half of the proven IA cases were caused by rare/cryptic species. Surgical treatment could be an important option for the management of IA caused by these rare/cryptic species.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Takuro Koshikawa, Masahiro Abe, Minoru Nagi, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Hiromu Takemura
Summary: This study investigates the biofilm-forming capabilities of Candida species under different oxygen conditions. The results show that C. albicans favors aerobic conditions to form biofilms, while C. tropicalis demonstrates higher biofilm formation ability and promotes hyphal growth under microaerobic conditions.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Author Name Is Multiple Tagging
Summary: Filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus fumigatus, form multicellular hyphae that are difficult to monitor quantitatively in liquid cultures. In this study, we successfully developed a method to quantitatively monitor hyphal growth in A. fumigatus by measuring optical density. This method can be used to establish a standard for hyphal quantification and to screen for novel antifungal agents against Aspergillus species.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Shinya Yamamoto, Mahoko Ikeda, Yuki Ohama, Tomohiro Sunouchi, Yasutaka Hoshino, Hiroshi Ito, Marie Yamashita, Yoshiaki Kanno, Koh Okamoto, Satoshi Yamagoe, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Shu Okugawa, Jun Fujishiro, Kyoji Moriya
Summary: This case report presents a bloodstream infection of Aureobasidium melanigenum in a patient with long-term catheter use. The identification of A. melanigenum proved challenging through routine microbiological testing. The patient recovered with antifungal therapy and catheter removal.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Michiyo Okamoto, Azusa Takahashi-Nakaguchi, Kengo Tejima, Kaname Sasamoto, Masashi Yamaguchi, Toshihiro Aoyama, Minoru Nagi, Kohichi Tanabe, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Hironobu Nakayama, Chihiro Sasakawa, Susumu Kajiwara, Alistair J. P. Brown, Miguel C. Teixeira, Hiroji Chibana
Summary: The study demonstrates the essential role of the Candida glabrata ERG25 gene in cholesterol uptake from the host, leading to decreased lethality in infected mice. ERG25 knockdown impairs plasma membrane localization of the sterol importer Aus1p, suggesting a potential target for antifungal therapy. These findings highlight the importance of ERG25 in stabilizing sterol-rich lipid domains during infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Sota Sadamoto, Yurika Mitsui, Yasuhiro Nihonyanagi, Kazuki Amemiya, Minoru Shinozaki, Somay Yamagata Murayama, Masahiro Abe, Takashi Umeyama, Naobumi Tochigi, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Kazutoshi Shibuya
Summary: Invasive fungal infections have high mortality rates in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and are often confirmed postmortem. Use of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples is crucial for identifying fungi when autopsy confirmation is challenging. PCR, along with histopathological diagnosis, is valuable for precise identification, but has limitations in autopsy FFPE samples.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tadashi Ishida, Masafumi Seki, Kazunori Oishi, Kazuhiro Tateda, Jiro Fujita, Jun-ichi Kadota, Akihiko Kawana, Koichi Izumikawa, Toshiaki Kikuchi, Norio Ohmagari, Mitsuhiro Yamada, Takaya Maruyama, Takahiro Takazono, Makoto Miki, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Yoshitaka Yamazaki, Hiroshi Kakeya, Kenji Ogawa, Hideaki Nagai, Akira Watanabe
Summary: A certain percentage of patients without risk factors may experience severe complications of influenza requiring hospitalization. Even younger patients need appropriate diagnosis and treatment for influenza. Continuous nationwide surveillance is necessary to clarify risk factors for severe influenza in younger patients.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Shigeru Kohno, Koichi Izumikawa, Takahiro Takazono, Taiga Miyazaki, Minoru Yoshida, Katsuhiko Kamei, Kenji Ogawa, Shuichi Taniguchi, Koichi Akashi, Kazuhiro Tateda, Hiroshi Mukae, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Fumito Okada, Yoshinobu Kanda, Hiroshi Kakeya, Junko Suzuki, Shun-ichi Kimura, Mitsukazu Kishida, Miyuki Matsuda, Yoshihito Niki
Summary: The study showed that isavuconazole demonstrated good efficacy and safety in treating Japanese patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and cryptococcosis, which are currently not indicated for the drug.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Toshiki Kajihara, Koji Yahara, Minoru Nagi, Norikazu Kitamura, Aki Hirabayashi, Yumiko Hosaka, Masahiro Abe, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Motoyuki Sugai
Summary: This study shows that the proportion of Candida species in Japan remained stable from 2010-2019. However, certain species, such as C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei, exhibited higher resistance to azoles and micafungin. The increasing incidence of candidemia and the emergence of drug-resistant Candida species highlight the need for long-term surveillance studies.
Letter
Oncology
Kazuki Tanimura, Miho Nakajima, Nami Shirakawa, Kayoko Tao, Masanaka Sugiyama, Yuko Watanabe, Ayumu Arakawa, Miyu Kikuchi, Masamichi Takahashi, Yoshitaka Narita, Mika Shiotsuka, Osamu Kobayashi, Satoshi Iwata, Akihiko Yoshida, Masahiro Abe, Satoshi Yamagoe, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Chitose Ogawa
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Keigo Ueno, Soichiro Tsuge, Kiminori Shimizu, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki
Summary: Cryptococcosis is a potentially lethal fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii species complexes. Currently, there is no commercially available prophylactic vaccine and the protective immunity is still under investigation. Whole-cell vaccines, including modified highly immunostimulating strains, have shown effectiveness in prolonging life and suppressing fungal burden in mice, and cross-reactivity to other fungal pathogens. These findings provide valuable insights for vaccine development. In this review, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of whole-cell vaccines against cryptococcosis.
MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Hitoshi Yonezawa, Shingo Tanaka, Makito Tanaka, Ryo Kobayashi, Satoshi Takahashi
Summary: The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for false positives in high-sensitivity HBsAg quantitative tests and reduce the need for neutralization tests. The results showed that younger age, female sex, lower HBsAg values, and reagent improvement were independent risk factors for false positives. The false-positive rate was highest in the range of 0.005-0.049 IU/mL.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2024)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Nobuaki Kobayashi, Katsushi Tanaka, Suguru Muraoka, Kohei Somekawa, Ayami Kaneko, Sousuke Kubo, Hiromi Matsumoto, Hiroaki Fujii, Keisuke Watanabe, Nobuyuki Horita, Yu Hara, Takeshi Kaneko
Summary: This study identified age, a negative T-SPOT.TB result, elevated CRP levels, and a high NLR as significant independent risk factors for death in hospitalized TB patients. These findings underscore the importance of these parameters in the risk stratification and management of hospitalized TB patients.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2024)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Naokuni Hishiya, Kenji Uno, Akiyo Nakano, Mitsuru Konishi, Seiya Higashi, Shuhei Eguchi, Tadashi Ariyoshi, Asami Matsumoto, Kentaro Oka, Motomichi Takahashi, Yuki Suzuki, Saori Horiuchi, Nobuyasu Hirai, Yoshihiko Ogawa, Taku Ogawa, Ryuichi Nakano, Keiichi Mikasa, Kei Kasahara, Hisakazu Yano
Summary: This study revealed intestinal dysbiosis near a CD4 count of 350 in HIV-infected patients undergoing cART. These findings contribute to the understanding of intestinal damage and systemic inflammation in HIV infection.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2024)