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The Japanese Archipelago comprises a chain of islands; therefore, gaps between islands can represent potential dispersal barriers for coastal species, especially those inhabiting tidal flats. This study investigates the population genetic structure of the soldier crab Mictyris guinotae (Brachyura: Thoracotremata: Mictyridae) using mitochondrial COI gene sequences. Specimens were collected from Tanegashima Island and five Ryukyu Islands, covering the species' known geographic distribution. Although the Mantel test identified a moderate trend (r2 = 0.41, P < 0.01) for isolation by distance, all populations exhibited high haplotype and nucleotide diversities, with neither analysis of molecular variance nor ΦST detecting genetic differences among populations. Notably, the northernmost population (Tanegashima Island), approximately 260 km from the nearest known geographic distribution on Amami-Oshima Island, shared haplotypes with other populations, although the number of specimens from Tanegashima Island is only four due to its small population size. This absence of genetic differences among populations of M. guinotae differs from other intertidal organisms in the region examined in previous studies. Mismatch distributions suggest contrasting demographic history in M. guinotae and the sand bubbler crab Scopimera ryukyuensis, which has been revealed to show population genetic structuring despite its similar geographic distribution to M. guinotae. The present study provides another case of genetic diversity among intertidal organisms in the Ryukyu Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study investigated the relationship between bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and intra-amniotic infection with Ureaplasma species. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study. Patients with singleton pregnancies who underwent inpatient management at our department for preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), preterm labor, cervical insufficiency, and asymptomatic cervical shortening at 22–33 gestational weeks were included. Amniocentesis was indicated for patients with PPROM or an elevated maternal C-reactive protein level (≥0.58 mg/dL). Patients with an amniotic fluid IL-6 concentration ≥3.0 ng/mL were diagnosed with intra-amniotic inflammation, while those with positive aerobic, anaerobic, M. hominis, and Ureaplasma spp. cultures were diagnosed with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC). Patients who tested positive for both intra-amniotic inflammation and MIAC were considered to have intra-amniotic infection. An umbilical vein blood IL-6 concentration >11.0 pg/mL indicated fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS). The maternal inflammatory response (MIR) and fetal inflammatory response (FIR) were staged using the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group Consensus Statement. Results: Intra-amniotic infection with Ureaplasma spp. was diagnosed in 37 patients, intra-amniotic infection without Ureaplasma spp. in 28, intra-amniotic inflammation without MIAC in 58, and preterm birth without MIR/FIR and FIRS in 86 as controls. Following an adjustment for gestational age at birth, the risk of BPD was increased in patients with intra-amniotic infection with Ureaplasma spp. (adjusted odds ratio: 10.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.55–71.2), but not in those with intra-amniotic infection without Ureaplasma spp. or intra-amniotic inflammation without MIAC. Conclusion: BPD was only associated with intra-amniotic infection with Ureaplasma species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We herein report an autopsy case of a fulminant Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens or Welch bacilli) infection in a healthy adult. A 72‐year‐old, immunocompetent man visited the emergency department with lower back pain, and blood test revealed hemolytic attack. His condition rapidly worsened with severe acidosis and anemia, and he died despite symptomatic treatment. An autopsy examination demonstrated an abscess with necrosis and air spaces in the right lobe of his liver. Numerous Gram‐positive bacilli were seen in the liver and bone marrow, and C. perfringens was identified in culture of the antemortem blood sample. Of note, a mucosal epithelium of the ileum showed loss of tight junctions (claudin 4), suggesting the involvement of C. perfringens toxins with its systemic spreading. Welch toxins were suggested to be involved in serious pathological conditions such as hemolytic anemia and systemic infections, and it is necessary to raise Welch infection as one of the differential diagnoses for fulminant systemic infections even in healthy individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the resistant mechanisms of EGFR‐TKIs is BRAF V600E mutation. Herein, we present the case of a 54‐year‐old Japanese female who underwent a right middle lobectomy for pathological stage IIB lung adenocarcinoma. One year and nine months after the surgery, she developed multiple intrapulmonary metastases. Osimertinib was administered due to EGFR exon 19 deletion. Although all intrapulmonary metastases had shrunk, the nodule at the superior segment of left lung enlarged after postoperative 4 years. The tumour was resected and BRAF V600E mutation and exon 19 deletion were detected. Three months after treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib instead of osimertinib, the remaining intrapulmonary metastases increased again. The continued growth of the metastatic foci even after EGFR‐TKI may indicate an acquired resistance. Thus, a repeat biopsy will aid in confirming the new gene expression. It should have been necessary to administer an additional dose of dabrafenib and trametinib without discontinuing osimertinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) has contributed to reducing pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, in Japan, invasive pneumococcal diseases caused by non-vaccine-covered serotypes have increased over the years. A 73-year-old man with a history of PPSV23 was referred to our hospital due to persistent fever and back pain following pneumococcal pneumonia. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed an infectious aneurysm (IAA) at the distal part of the aortic arch. The patient was surgically treated with in situ aortic reconstruction and administered antibiotics. On pathogenic examination of the resected IAA, atherosclerotic changed aortic wall, neutrophil infiltration, and abscesses were observed. Although multiple blood culture tests were negative, tissue culture tests and 16S ribosomal RNA gene-based polymerase chain reaction identified S. pneumoniae. According to capsular polysaccharide synthesis B gene-based serotyping, the serotype was identified as 23A, which is not covered with PPSV23. Serotype 23 is among the most frequently identified serotypes in recent years and associated with in-hospital mortality. Although several pneumococcal serotypes are responsible for lethal infections, the association between these serotypes and disease is uncertain. Further studies on the association between pneumococcal serotypes and IAA, and the development of a broader-covered vaccine are required. • To be able to make a differential diagnosis of invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in patients with persistent fever and newly emerging back pain following pneumococcal infection. • To understand the importance of combining culture tests and molecular analysis to diagnose invasive pneumococcal diseases accurately. • To understand the threat of non-vaccine-covered serotypes even in patients with vaccination histories because the vaccine is limited to only one-fourth of all pneumococcal serotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]