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Background The gold standard for diagnosis of cutaneous sporotrichosis involves the isolation of the fungus, Sporothrix, by a culture test. Generally, the sampling for the culture test is performed at the same time as skin biopsy under local anaesthesia. However, the culture test may occasionally return a false negative result. Objective The aim of our study was to investigate the diagnostic value of a molecular method for diagnosing cutaneous sporotrichosis from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Methods Over a 30-year period, we collected 52 cases of cutaneous sporotrichosis from biopsied specimens that had been positively diagnosed by a culture test. A nested PCR specific for Sporothrix detection was applied using FFPE tissue as template. The results were compared with control samples from 79 patients diagnosed with other cutaneous diseases according to histopathological, clinical findings and a cutler test. Results Of the 52 patients who were tested positive on the culture test, all cutaneous diseases were detected by PCR. Of the 59 patients in the control group, 58 tested negative by PCR. Under our conditions, the calculated sensitivity of this method was 100%, the specificity was 98.7% and the kappa coefficient was 0.984 (95% CI: 0.953-1.000). Conclusions The specific PCR assay used appears to be a useful tool for the prompt and accurate diagnosis of sporotrichosis. Using this method, it would be possible to diagnose cutaneous sporotrichosis for patients who were suspected of cutaneous sporotrichosis but tested negative on culturing, and for pathologically suspected cutaneous sporotrichosis patients for whom the culture test was not undertaken.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to verify whether lipid emulsion treatment aggravates infection and inflammation in very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN Very low-birthweight (

Noda H, Iso H, Irie F, Sairenchi T, Ohtaka E, Ohta H (Osaka University, Osaka, Japan; Harvard School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA; Ibaraki Prefectural Office, Ibaraki; Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi; Ibaraki Health Service Association, Ibaraki; Japan). Gender difference of association between LDL cholesterol concentrations and mortality from coronary heart disease amongst Japanese: the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study. J Intern Med 2010; 267:576–587. Objective. The aim of this study was to examine whether LDL cholesterol raises the risk of coronary heart disease in a dose–response fashion in a population with low LDL-cholesterol levels. Design. Population-based prospective cohort study in Japan. Subjects and main outcome measures. A total of 30 802 men and 60 417 women, aged 40 to 79 years with no history of stroke or coronary heart disease, completed a baseline risk factor survey in 1993. Systematic mortality surveillance was performed through 2003 and 539 coronary heart disease deaths were identified. Results. The mean values for LDL-cholesterol were 110.5 mg dL−1 (2.86 mmol L−1) for men and 123.9 mg dL−1 (3.20 mmol L−1) for women. Men with LDL-cholesterol ≥140 mg dL−1 (≥3.62 mmol L−1) had two-fold higher age-adjusted risk of mortality from coronary heart disease than did those with LDL-cholesterol

Objective: The primary purposes of our study were to establish age- and gender-specific BMIs in terms of lowest mortality (risk nadir BMIs) for the Japanese population, and to then compare those to (i) BMIs for whites as determined by similar studies and to (ii) the official BMI guidelines. Methods and Procedures: A total of 32,060 men and 61,916 women aged 40–79 years underwent health check-ups in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, in 1993 and were followed through 2003. To determine the age- and gender-specific risk nadir BMIs, coefficients and the lowest point from a quadratic model with transformed BMI were calculated by a Cox proportional hazard model. This included the quadratic term of 1/BMI and adjusted values (age, alcohol intake, and smoking status). Results: For both age and both gender categories, the relationship between all-cause mortality risk and BMI categories are illustrated as U-shaped curves. The risk nadir BMIs for men in the age groups of 40–59 and 60–79 years were 23.4 and 25.3 kg/m2, respectively. Similarly, in women, the risk nadir BMIs were 21.6 and 23.4 kg/m2, respectively. Discussion: Among the general Japanese population, the risk nadir BMI for the age group of 60–79 years was higher compared to the age group of 40–59 years, which was similar to the study for whites, and the age-dependent risk nadir BMI differed from the official guidelines criteria. Our findings underscore the importance of weight control following appropriate indicators of body weight according to age.