Time to positivity for differentiating blood culture contamination: A 20-hour cutoff for major contaminants.

Background: Blood culture remains the gold standard for diagnosing bacteremia; however, contamination inevitably occurs in 2-3% of cases, requiring differentiation between true bacteremia and contamination. Although time to positivity (TTP) aids in this clinical decision, with detection after 24 hours generally indicating contamination, technological advances in blood culture systems may have shortened this threshold interval.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed blood culture data in our hospital from April 2023 to January 2025 to determine the optimal TTP cutoff.

Gaps between the days of antibiotic spectrum coverage (DASC) and clinical sense of antimicrobial spectrum.

Days of Antibiotic Spectrum Coverage (DASC) is a novel metric assessing antibiotic use in stewardship. This study evaluated its validity by comparing ASC scores with Japanese pharmacists' evaluations. Discrepancies in ASC scores for some antimicrobial agents indicate that local adjustments are needed to enhance clinical relevance and acceptability.

Intention and potential determinants of COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers at a single university hospital in Japan, 2024-2025 pre-season.

Background: Financial accessibility has emerged as a significant barrier to vaccine uptake following the cessation of universal public funding for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination programs. This investigation assessed the intention and determinant factors of COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in Japan in the 2024-2025 pre-season.

Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted utilizing data collected from hospital staff at Okayama University Hospital, Japan, to inform the COVID-19 vaccination strategy in October 2024.

Copy Number Variation in Acetolactate Synthase Genes of Thifensulfuron-Methyl Resistant (Shortawn Foxtail) Accessions in Japan.

Severe infestations of (shortawn foxtail), a noxious weed in wheat and barley cropping systems in Japan, can occur even after application of thifensulfuron-methyl, a sulfonylurea (SU) herbicide. In the present study, nine accessions of growing in a single wheat field were tested for sensitivity to thifensulfuron-methyl. Seven of the nine accessions survived application of standard field rates of thifensulfuron-methyl, indicating that severe infestations likely result from herbicide resistance.

1-Fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and its derivatives act as secretagogues on rodent mast cells.

Accumulating evidence suggests that activated mast cells are involved in contact hypersensitivity, although the precise mechanisms of their activation are still not completely understood. We investigated the potential of common experimental allergens to induce mast cell activation using murine bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells and rat peritoneal mast cells. Among these allergens, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinirobenzene (DNFB) were found to induce degranulation of rat peritoneal mast cells.