This work shows once again that novel CTX-M enzymes with an expanded activity towards ceftazidime through a single amino acid substitution can be identified from clinical isolates. Thus, detection of CTX-M enzymes can no longer be based solely on the resistance phenotypes of clinical isolates towards ceftazidime and cefotaxime.

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We assessed the diagnostic utility of the connective tissue disease (CTD) screen as an automated screening test, in comparison with the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), EliA extractable nuclear antigen (ENA), and line immunoassay (LIA) for patients with antinuclear antibody- (ANA-) associated rheumatoid disease (AARD). A total of 1115 serum samples from two university hospitals were assayed using these four autoantibody-based methods. The AARD group consisted of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). The qualitative results of all four autoantibody assays showed a significant association with AARDs, compared to controls (P < 0.0001 for all). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC-AUCs) of the CTD screen for differentiating total AARDs, SLE, SSc, SS, and MCTD from controls were 0.89, 0.93, 0.73, 0.93, and 0.95, respectively. The ROC-AUCs of combination testing with LIA were slightly higher in patients with AARDs (0.92) than those of CTD screen alone. Multivariate analysis indicated that all four autoantibody assays could independently predict AARDs. CTD screening alone and in combination with IIF, EliA ENA, and LIA are potentially valuable diagnostic approaches for predicting AARDs. Combining CTD screen with LIA might be effective for AARD patients.

This work shows that CTX-M-12, which confers high-level resistance to cefotaxime but not to ceftazidime, has emerged in Korea. The bla(CTX-M-12) gene was associated with an upstream ISEcp1 insertion sequence.

Vagus nerve preservation contributes to the maintenance of body weight after gastrectomy, and this phenomenon may be related to the suppressed activity of peptide YY(3-36).

Our results suggest that the Phadiatop test is more accurate than the RIDA qLine Allergy in discrepant cases.

PurposePancreatic leakage is a serious complication of gastrectomy due to stomach cancer. Therefore, we analyzed amylase and lipase concentrations in blood and drainage fluid, and evaluated the volume of drainage fluid to discern their usefulness as markers for the early detection of serious pancreatic leakage requiring reoperation after gastrectomy.MethodsFrom January 2001 to December 2007, we retrospectively analyzed data from 24,072 patient samples. We divided patients into two groups; 1) complications with pancreatic leakage (CG), and 2) no complications associated with pancreatic leakage (NCG). Values of amylase and lipase in the blood and drainage fluid, volume of the drainage fluid, and relationships among the volumes, amylase values, and lipase values in the drainage fluid were evaluated, respectively in the two groups.ResultsThe mean amylase values of CG were significantly higher than those of NCG in blood and drainage fluid (P < 0.05). For lipase, statistically significant differences were observed in drainage fluid (P < 0.05). The mean volume (standard deviation) of the drained fluid through the tube between CG (n = 22) and NCG (n = 236) on postoperative day 1 were 368.41 (266.25) and 299.26 (300.28), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups (P = 0.298). There was a correlation between the amylase and lipase values in the drainage fluid (r = 0.812, P = 0.000).ConclusionAmong postoperative amylase and lipase values in blood and drainage fluid, and the volume of drainage fluid, the amylase in drainage fluid was better differentiated between CG and NCG than other markers. The volume of the drainage fluid did not differ significantly between groups.

PurposeHER-2/neu overexpression is documented in some bladder cancers. To our knowledge, there are no current studies evaluating urine HER-2/neu levels. Therefore, we examined the clinical significance of serum and urine HER-2/neu protein in bladder cancer.Materials and MethodsUrothelial bladder carcinoma patients (n=38, including 31 men and 7 women) and healthy controls (n=25, including 20 men and 5 women) were included in the study. Urine cytology and serum and urine HER-2/neu levels were measured before the transurethral resection of bladder tumor procedure. Prognostic factors including tumor stage, histologic grade, tumor size, multiplicity, and preoperative urine cytology and their association with urinary HER-2/neu were analyzed by simple and multiple regression analyses.ResultsThere was no significant difference in serum HER-2/neu between the two groups (p=0.489). The mean urinary HER-2/neu was 7,586.82 relative luminescence unit (RLU) in bladder cancer patients and 4,245.84 RLU in healthy controls. The mean RLU values of urinary HER-2/neu in the bladder cancer patient group were significantly higher than in healthy controls (p=0.012). An receiver operating characteristic curve was generated, and using the cutoff value of ≥4,800 RLU of urinary HER-2/neu, 71.1% sensitivity and 84.0% specificity were obtained. Among the clinical factors, only positive preoperative urine cytology samples were associated with urinary HER-2/neu levels by both simple and multiple regression analyses.ConclusionsBladder cancer patients demonstrated significantly higher urinary HER-2/neu than did healthy controls. These findings suggest that urinary HER-2/neu may be valuable as a new urinary marker. The application of urinary HER-2/neu needs additional investigation.