• Title/Summary/Keyword: Laboratory Medicine

Search Result 7,821, Processing Time 0.049 seconds

Emergence of GII.4 Sydney Norovirus in South Korea During the Winter of 2012-2013

  • Kim, Hyun Soo;Hyun, Jeongwon;Kim, Han-Sung;Kim, Jae-Seok;Song, Wonkeun;Lee, Kyu Man
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
    • /
    • v.23 no.11
    • /
    • pp.1641-1643
    • /
    • 2013
  • Norovirus is the major cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Between November 2012 and June 2013, 1718 stool samples were requested for norovirus antigen testing in the metropolitan areas of South Korea, and 91 samples were genotyped. The norovirus antigen-positive rate peaked at 52.8% in December 2013. A novel norovirus GII.4 variant, GII.4 Sydney 2012, was the most frequently found genotype (60.4%) during this period. This study demonstrates that norovirus activity increased during the winter of 2012-2013 in South Korea and that norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012 was the cause of the norovirus epidemic during this period.

Proof-of-concept study of the caninized anti-canine programmed death 1 antibody in dogs with advanced non-oral malignant melanoma solid tumors

  • Masaya Igase;Sakuya Inanaga;Shoma Nishibori;Kazuhito Itamoto;Hiroshi Sunahara;Yuki Nemoto;Kenji Tani;Hiro Horikirizono;Munekazu Nakaichi;Kenji Baba;Satoshi Kambayashi;Masaru Okuda;Yusuke Sakai;Masashi Sakurai;Masahiro Kato;Toshihiro Tsukui;Takuya Mizuno
    • Journal of Veterinary Science
    • /
    • v.25 no.1
    • /
    • pp.15.1-15.15
    • /
    • 2024
  • Background: The anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibody has led to durable clinical responses in a wide variety of human tumors. We have previously developed the caninized anti-canine PD-1 antibody (ca-4F12-E6) and evaluated its therapeutic properties in dogs with advance-staged oral malignant melanoma (OMM), however, their therapeutic effects on other types of canine tumors remain unclear. Objective: The present clinical study was carried out to evaluate the safety profile and clinical efficacy of ca-4F12-E6 in dogs with advanced solid tumors except for OMM. Methods: Thirty-eight dogs with non-OMM solid tumors were enrolled prospectively and treated with ca-4F12-E6 at 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks of each 10-week treatment cycle. Adverse events (AEs) and treatment efficacy were graded based on the criteria established by the Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group. Results: One dog was withdrawn, and thirty-seven dogs were evaluated for the safety and efficacy of ca-4F12-E6. Treatment-related AEs of any grade occurred in 13 out of 37 cases (35.1%). Two dogs with sterile nodular panniculitis and one with myasthenia gravis and hypothyroidism were suspected of immune-related AEs. In 30 out of 37 dogs that had target tumor lesions, the overall response and clinical benefit rates were 6.9% and 27.6%, respectively. The median progression-free survival and overall survival time were 70 days and 215 days, respectively. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that ca-4F12-E6 was well-tolerated in non-OMM dogs, with a small number of cases showing objective responses. This provides evidence supporting large-scale clinical trials of anti-PD-1 antibody therapy in dogs.

Differences in Colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates Between Patients With and Without Prior Colistin Treatment

  • Park, Yu Jin;Hong, Duck Jin;Yoon, Eun-Jeong;Kim, Dokyun;Choi, Min Hyuk;Hong, Jun Sung;Lee, Hyukmin;Yong, Dongeun;Jeong, Seok Hoon
    • Annals of Laboratory Medicine
    • /
    • v.38 no.6
    • /
    • pp.545-554
    • /
    • 2018
  • Background: The increasing morbidity and mortality rates associated with Acinetobacter baumannii are due to the emergence of drug resistance and the limited treatment options. We compared characteristics of colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-AB) clinical isolates recovered from patients with and without prior colistin treatment. We assessed whether prior colistin treatment affects the resistance mechanism of CR-AB isolates, mortality rates, and clinical characteristics. Additionally, a proper method for identifying CR-AB was determined. Methods: We collected 36 non-duplicate CR-AB clinical isolates resistant to colistin. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, Sanger sequencing analysis, molecular typing, lipid A structure analysis, and in vitro synergy testing were performed. Eleven colistin-susceptible AB isolates were used as controls. Results: Despite no differences in clinical characteristics between patients with and without prior colistin treatment, resistance-causing genetic mutations were more frequent in isolates from colistin-treated patients. Distinct mutations were overlooked via the Sanger sequencing method, perhaps because of a masking effect by the colistin-susceptible AB subpopulation of CR-AB isolates lacking genetic mutations. However, modified lipid A analysis revealed colistin resistance peaks, despite the population heterogeneity, and peak levels were significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: Although prior colistin use did not induce clinical or susceptibility differences, we demonstrated that identification of CR-AB by sequencing is insufficient. We propose that population heterogeneity has a masking effect, especially in colistin non-treated patients; therefore, accurate testing methods reflecting physiological alterations of the bacteria, such as phosphoethanolamine-modified lipid A identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight, should be employed.

Molecular Cloning, Identification and Characteristics of a Novel Isoform of Carbamyl Phosphate Synthetase I in Human Testis

  • Huo, Ran;Zhu, Hui;Lu, Li;Ying, Lanlan;Xu, Min;Xu, Zhiyang;Li, Jianmin;Zhou, Zuomin;Sha, Jiahao
    • BMB Reports
    • /
    • v.38 no.1
    • /
    • pp.28-33
    • /
    • 2005
  • A gene coding a novel isoform of carbamyl phosphate synthetase I (CPS1) was cloned from a human testicular library. As shown by cDNA microarray hybridization, this gene was expressed at a higher level in human adult testes than in fetal testes. The full length of its cDNA was 3831 bp, with a 3149 bp open reading frame, encoding a 1050-amino-acid protein. The cDNA sequence was deposited in the GenBank (AY317138). Sequence analysis showed that it was homologous to the human CPS1 gene. The putative protein contained functional domains composing the intact large subunit of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, thus indicated it has the capability of arginine biosynthesis. A multiple tissue expression profile showed high expression of this gene in human testis, suggesting the novel alternative splicing form of CPS1 may be correlated with human spermatogenesis.