Biomedical subjects

Naohide Takayama

Publications and source records attributed to Naohide Takayama.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

[Investigation concerning demand and vaccination applicants to traveler's vaccines (typhoid fever and meningococcal vaccines) not marketed in Japan].

In recent years, the number of Japanese traveling to foreign countries is increasing. Most of them travel to Asian regions where many infectious diseases that are rare or don't occur in Japan still remain endemic or epidemic. Of these infectious diseases typhoid fever and meningococcal infection are now preventable because safe and effective vaccines have been developed and now marketed. However, these vaccines are hardly available in Japan because the Japanese Government has not admitted them. To investigate the demand for the two vaccines, the author personally imported inactivated polysaccharide typhoid vaccine and groups A, C,Y and W135 combined polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine, both manufactured by Aventis-Pasteur. After obtaining approval of the ethical committee of our hospital, vaccination was started. From May 6, 2003 to September 30, 2004, 124 applicants received typhoid vaccine and 35 were injected with meningococcal vaccine. Of 124 vaccinees of typhoid vaccine, 46 went to Afghanistan, 15 to India, 8 to Thailand. Of 35 vaccinees of meningococcal vaccine 6 went to the USA, 5 to Guinea and 3 to England. In addition a total of 12 physicians and nurses having no international scheduled trip were also immunized with meningococcal vaccine. None of these vaccines are widely known in Japan now. Based on our results, however, the expansion of recognition and demand for these two vaccines is expected.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Cumulative vaccination coverage of measles- and oral polio vaccine obtained by the nationwide survey].

In 2002 we estimated the measles cumulative vaccination coverage (CVC) in Japan by randomly selecting a total of 5,000 3-year-old children from the total Japanese population and examining the age in months when they were vaccinated against measles. This survey revealed that in Japan measles CVC at ages 18, 24, and 36 months were 61.7 +/- 1.6%, 79.6 +/- 1.3%, and 86.9 +/- 1.1%, respectively. The results obtained in 2003 revealed that the measles CVC among 3-year-old children in 2003 was higher than that obtained in 2002, with especially noticeable improvement in their period of 12 to 23 months of age. It is estimated that this improvement was attributed to the effort made by many persons concerning vaccination to raise the vaccination rate. In 2003 oral polio vaccine (OPV) CVC was investigated for the first time, in addition to measles CVC. OPV CVC of the first dose at 6, 12, and 36 months of age were 44.2 +/- 1.5%, 85.5 +/- 1.1%, and 94.7 +/- 0.8%, respectively. The results of the second dose at 12, 18, and 36 months of age were 42.3 +/- 1.5%, 73.5 +/- 1.3%, and 90.7 +/- 0.9%, respectively. Even at 36 months of age the CVC level of the second dose of OPV was found to be slightly lower than that of the first dose.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2005

[Measles and rubella].

Measles and rubella should be considered as infectious diseases to be prevented through vaccination rather than as diseases to be treated. If measles and rubella live vaccines are used appropriately, it is possible not only to prevent children contracting measles and rubella but also to prevent outbreaks of these diseases, and to eradicate newborns with congenital rubella syndrome. Changes in the epidemic situation of measles resulting from both vaccination and genetic alteration of the virus have caused new problems such as modified measles and adult measles. To resolve these problems it is necessary to maintain an adequate coverage with the measles vaccination. On the other hand, rubella outbreaks have been controlled by vaccinations and newborns with congenital rubella syndrome are rarely reported. However, the vaccination coverage against rubella has decreased in recent years, and the reoccurrence of the congenital rubella syndrome has already been reported in some regions. The introduction of the measles-rubella combined vaccine and twice vaccination schedule is indispensable in maintaining adequate vaccination coverage and keeping antibody levels against measles and rubella sufficiently high.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Clinical feature of human rabies].

Rabies is one of the most typical zoonosis that has been well known since ancient ages. Although no rabies case has been reported since 1957 in Japan, there are many areas where rabies is yet endemic or epidemic. Usually men contract rabies through rabid animal bite. However, human-to-human transmission of rabies virus occurred through organ transplantations. Rabies causes fatal encephalitis in animals and humans and effective methods to treat rabies patients have not yet been available. The only means to escape rabies death is to receive the post-exposure prophylaxis of rabies with rabies vaccine as soon after animal bite as possible. We should keep in mind that rabies is preventable but incurable.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

[Rabies].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

New method of differentiating wild-type varicella-zoster virus (VZV) strains from Oka varicella vaccine strain by VZV ORF 6-based PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

A new method was developed to distinguish accurately wild-type varicella-zoster virus (VZV) strains from the Oka vaccine strain. Several DNA fragments covering open reading frame (ORF) 1-37 were amplified from wild-type VZV strains including the Oka parent strain and from the Oka vaccine strain. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of these regions were compared, and nucleotide differences between the vaccine virus and other wild-type VZV strains were noted in ORFs 6, 10, and 35. In addition, variations of the R2 and R4 reiterated structures of the vaccine and its parent strains were examined. The Oka vaccine strain used in Japan was shown to be a mixture of viruses with different nucleotide sequences that had variations in at least three nucleotide positions in ORF 1-37 and had variable polymorphisms at R2 and R4 repeat regions (two and three patterns, respectively). The Oka parent strain on the other hand showed a single sequence and had only one reiterated structure at these regions. When VZV ORF 6 was amplified and its product was digested with AluI, the Oka vaccine strain could be precisely differentiated from its parent and from 56 other Japanese clinical isolates.

Chickenpox Vaccine↗

PubMed2004

[Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis after being bitten by a ferret suspected to have rabies, case report].

A woman bought two ferrets from a pet shop. These ferrets became brutal soon, excreted a large amount of saliva and then died. One of these ferrets had bitten the owner's hand before it died. As for the ferret, rabies and distemper were suspected. To receive rabies post-exposure prophylaxis the woman visited our vaccine clinic. To clarify the ferret's cause of death virological examinations were requested to Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health. The rabies examination of the ferret that had bitten the owner was performed according the law. However the tests of the other ferret that had not bitten the owner was not done though it was suspected to die from rabies, because the law does not mention such a case like the latter ferret. The virological tests concerning distemper were not accepted by the Institute, so the examination was done at a private laboratory. These two ferrets were diagnosed to have had distemper from the results. It is clearly shown from this bite-accident that the legal system where the cause of the animal's death required is extremely incomplete in Japan.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Change in the age-distribution of measles patients admitted to our hospital from 1981 to 2002].

A marked change in age distribution of measles inpatients from 1981 to 2002, namely the increase in number of infants under one year of age and that of young adult of 20-24 years were observed. Recent decrease in number of measles inpatients of 2-4 years of age seemed to result from the effect of vaccination against measles given to young children over 12 months of age. Relative increase of infant patients younger than 1 year of age appeared to result form the decrease in number of patients over 1 year old or from the absolute increase in number of infant patients below 1 year of age which arisen from decreased level of anti-measles antibody transferred from their mothers. To clarify which is the more important cause, however, further investigations will be necessary. Relative increase in adult inpatients of measles is speculated to result from the increase in number of adult susceptible to measles because they were not vaccinated against measles and did not contracted measles.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

[Clinical investigation on adult inpatients contracted measles; comparing with pediatric measles inpatients].

Age distribution, history of vaccination against measles, clinical signs and symptoms were investigated among a total of 113 adult measles patients admitted in our hospital between January, 2000 and December, 2002. The maximum body temperature, duration of fever, presence of Koplik spot and exanthema among these adult inpatients were compared with those among 1-to-5-year-old inpatients having measles. Concerning age distribution, the peak was found at the age of 20-24 years. Most of adult inpatients had not contracted measles until then and had not been vaccinated against measles. The infection route was unknown except a small number of inpatients. Clinical signs and symptoms among adult inpatients were about the same of those in pediatric inpatients except a sore throat. Complications occurred in 17 cases out of 113 adult inpatients, 4 of them had encephalitis or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and the other 4 cases contracted pneumonia. Among the 45 child inpatients, whereas, 23 had complications, 13 of them had pneumonia, 3 contracted otitis media, and an additional 3 suffered from both pneumonia and otitis media. From the results it is reasonably concluded that clinical signs and symptoms among adults impatients with measles are comparable with those of pediatric measles inpatients or slightly severer.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Chronic pneumonitis of infancy.

Chronic pneumonitis of infancy (CPI) is a very rare lung disease in infants and young children. We report a 33-day-old infant with CPI, focusing on the radiologic aspects of the disease. Chest radiographs showed variable and non-specific appearances including ground-glass shadowing, consolidation, volume loss, and hyperinflation. Dense alveolar opacities progressed as CPI advanced. The radiologic features of our case reflected pathologic changes.

Autopsy↗

PubMed2002

[Four cases of pediatric Ramsay Hunt syndrome].

Four cases of the Ramsay Hunt syndrome were admitted to our hospital during the two years from February 1997 to January 1999. Though one of the 4 patients had been immunized with varicella vaccine, the causative virus was not a vaccine strain but a wild-type strain. These patients were not suffering from underlying diseases. Because the number of pediatric zoster patient without underlying diseases who visited our clinic between 1981 and 1999 was 35 cases, the Ramsay Hunt syndrome turned out not to be extremely rare even among children having no underlying diseases. The prognosis of the Ramsay Hunt syndrome is assumed to be good if the treatment begins at the early stage. To begin the treatment at the early stage, it is necessary to confirm the diagnosis with virological examinations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

[Long PCR amplification of varicella-zoster virus DNA in clinical specimens from the patients with varicella and herpes zoster].

Long PCR amplification of the 7.7 to 33.5 Kbp regions of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) genomic DNA was performed using template DNAs extracted from clinical specimens such as vesicle fluid and crusts which had been obtained from varicella or herpes zoster patients. PCR products of 7.7-14.4 Kbp in length were efficiently amplified from all of the 14 template DNAs of crust specimens. Targets of 18.6-20.0 Kbp DNA could be also amplified from 14 crust samples except one. From all of the 7 samples derived from infected cells, the DNA targets up to 27.2 Kbp in length could be amplified. Whereas, the efficiency of amplification of 27.2 Kbp DNAs from crust samples was somewhat lower (9/14,64%) than that of DNAs from infected cells. In 83% (5/6) of target DNAs from infected cells, amplification of DNA as long as 33.5 Kbp was possible, while only in 40% (2/5) of these from crust specimens. From crust samples, the efficiency of amplification of DNA longer than 20 Kbp tended to decline. We also confirmed that long target DNA was amplifiable directly from vesicle fluid specimens as effective as from crust specimens. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses combined with R2-nested PCR of the long PCR products allowed classification of the 14 clinical specimens into 9 groups. Long PCR derived from clinical specimens was demonstrated to be applicable to RFLP analyses and sequencing without laborious test of virus isolation. Furthermore, the long PCR method described here will be useful for studies of the molecular epidemiology of VZV and for investigating variations among VZV isolates.

Chickenpox↗

PubMed2002

[Anti-rabies antibody titers among subjects who received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis with foreign-made rabies vaccines at the beginning and followed with Japanese rabies vaccine].

Recently travelers who were bitten by possibly rabid animals in rabies endemic regions and returned to Japan have increased in number. About half of them received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (RPEP) with one or more doses of foreign-made rabies vaccines (FRV) in the local medical institutions. FRV, however, are not available in Japan so we have to continue the RPEP with Japanese rabies vaccine (JRV). It has not been demonstrated that an anti-rabies antibody induced with JRV following Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV) or chick embryo cell rabies vaccine (PCEC) could be high enough to prevent clinical rabies. We examined anti-rabies antibody (ARA) titers among the subjects visited our vaccine clinic to receive RPEP and obtained results as follows: the ARA titers after a total of 5 doses of PCEC or PVRV and JRV were high enough to prevent clinical rabies as after 5 doses of JRV. However, ARA titers obtained after receiving one dose of PVRV and 2 doses of JRV seemed lower than those produced after one dose of PCEC and 2 doses of JRV or 3 doses of JRV. To accelerate antibody production, consequently, the simultaneous intradermal and subcutaneous injection method of rabies vaccine may be applied to those who were bitten in their hands or head by possibly rabid animals and received only one dose of PVRV in rabies endemic regions.

Adolescent↗