ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a member of the coronavirus family that also includes endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) types OC43, HKU1, 229E, and NL63. HCoVs share extensive sequence homology with SARS-CoV-2. It has been assumed that HCoV infection occur primarily in winter and spring in Japan before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and that its frequency is the same for all age groups. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected for HCoVs and SARS-CoV-2. All medical data were retrospectively analyzed. Our primary objective was to describe the epidemiology of HCoV in the Furano, Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our secondary objective was to compare the prevalence of HCoV with that of SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS: From September 2020 to August 2022, 113 (6.2 %) of 1823 cases were positive for any HCoV. The HCoV-NL63 activity peaked in January-March 2021. The HCoV-OC43 activity peaked in June-August 2021. HCoVs were mostly detected at age ≤11 years and most frequently at age ≤2 years. HCoVs showed high detection in 2021, while SARS-CoV-2 showed moderate detection in 2020-2021, but significantly increased in 2022. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, HCoV-OC43 activity peaked in the summer. The frequency of HCoV infection varied widely by age group and was higher among those aged ≤11 years. These were different from those reported before the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest that the disease dynamics of HCoVs remain unclear and that continued surveillance is essential in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Coronavirus OC43, Human , Respiratory Tract Infections , Humans , Child , Child, Preschool , Pandemics , Retrospective Studies , COVID-19/epidemiology , Respiratory Tract Infections/diagnosis , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Although imatinib is the first-line of therapy for Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), in Japan, it is recommended by the manufacturer that lactating women treated with imatinib mesylate for CML should discontinue breastfeeding their infants. CASE: A 32-year-old pregnant patient was diagnosed with Ph-positive CML at 13 weeks of gestation. She received imatinib (400 mg/day) after 28 weeks of gestation. A female infant was delivered at a gestational age of 35 weeks and 3/7 days after preterm premature rupture of membranes. It was decided to feed only colostrum to the infant and formula feeding was done subsequently because of the risk of the transfer of imatinib to breast milk. The milk/plasma (M/P) ratio and the relative infant dose (RID) for imatinib were calculated to be 0.35 and 1.4%, respectively at 5 days of life. Moreover, the serum level of imatinib in the child of age 5 days was 27 ng/mL, which was much lower than the target trough value for CML (1000 ng/mL). CONCLUSION: The M/P ratio and RID values for maternally administered imatinib were within the safe range for breastfeeding, as reported in previous studies. In addition, it was found that the serum concentration of imatinib in the child was relatively low during short-term breastfeeding.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Breast Feeding , Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy , Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/drug therapy , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Adult , Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects , Breast Feeding/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Imatinib Mesylate/adverse effects , Imatinib Mesylate/therapeutic use , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Japan , Lactation/drug effects , Lactation/metabolism , Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/diagnosis , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/diagnosis , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/adverse effectsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Proliferative cholangitis (PC) associated with hepatolithiasis results in stricture of the main bile ducts and is a major cause of residual and/or recurrent stones after repeated treatment for hepatolithiasis. The transcription factor E2F controls the expression of several genes involved in cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to inhibit PC using cytostatic gene therapy by transferring fusigenic anionic liposome-hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ-anionic liposome) complexes containing a synthetic double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide with high affinity for E2F (E2F decoy). MATERIALS AND METHODS: PC was induced by introducing a fine nylon thread into the bile duct in a rat model. HVJ-anionic liposomes containing the E2F decoy were administered directly into the biliary tract. HVJ-anionic liposomes containing a missense oligodeoxynucleotide (scramble decoy) were also given as a control. The count of peribiliary glands in the bile duct, 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling index, and immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the bile duct were compared among untransfected, scramble decoy-transfected, and E2F decoy-transfected rats. RESULTS: E2F decoy-transfected bile ducts showed inhibition of the papillary proliferation of the biliary epithelium and peribiliary gland hyperplasia. BrdU incorporation and PCNA expression in the bile ducts were inhibited in E2F decoy-transfected rats. CONCLUSION: Our cytostatic gene therapy approach using direct E2F decoy transfer into the biliary tract suppressed PC in a rat model and may offer an effective therapeutic option for reducing recurrence following treatment for hepatolithiasis.
