Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is a condition in which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms persist for over 3 months, and currently poses a global public health challenge. Due to varying manifestations and lack of standardized definitions, diagnostic methods, and treatments, comprehensive clinical guidelines are required. This review article, summarizing research and expert consensus up to June 2023, provides recommendations for diagnosis and long-term management of long COVID symptoms. It emphasizes thorough patient evaluation, including medical history, physical examinations, and tests, and advocates vaccination and antiviral treatments to reduce risk. Guidelines for long COVID will be updated as new knowledge emerges.

Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is a condition in which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms persist for over 3 months, and currently poses a global public health challenge. Due to varying manifestations and lack of standardized definitions, diagnostic methods, and treatments, comprehensive clinical guidelines are required. This review article, summarizing research and expert consensus up to June 2023, provides recommendations for diagnosis and long-term management of long COVID symptoms. It emphasizes thorough patient evaluation, including medical history, physical examinations, and tests, and advocates vaccination and antiviral treatments to reduce risk. Guidelines for long COVID will be updated as new knowledge emerges.

Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is a condition in which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms persist for over 3 months, and currently poses a global public health challenge. Due to varying manifestations and lack of standardized definitions, diagnostic methods, and treatments, comprehensive clinical guidelines are required. This review article, summarizing research and expert consensus up to June 2023, provides recommendations for diagnosis and long-term management of long COVID symptoms. It emphasizes thorough patient evaluation, including medical history, physical examinations, and tests, and advocates vaccination and antiviral treatments to reduce risk. Guidelines for long COVID will be updated as new knowledge emerges.

Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is a condition in which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms persist for over 3 months, and currently poses a global public health challenge. Due to varying manifestations and lack of standardized definitions, diagnostic methods, and treatments, comprehensive clinical guidelines are required. This review article, summarizing research and expert consensus up to June 2023, provides recommendations for diagnosis and long-term management of long COVID symptoms. It emphasizes thorough patient evaluation, including medical history, physical examinations, and tests, and advocates vaccination and antiviral treatments to reduce risk. Guidelines for long COVID will be updated as new knowledge emerges.

Purpose: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by inflammation arising in the colonic mucosa. Recently, the incidence of UC has been rapidly increasing due to Westernized lifestyles. If UC persists for a long time (more than 10 years), it is known to elevate the risk of colorectal cancer. In an earlier study, we reported that the mulberry twig (MT) water extract effectively alleviated colitis in mice. In this study, we isolated oxyresveratrol (OXY) from MT as a principal component and compared the anticolitis efficacy of the MT water extract and OXY in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colitis model. Methods: Six-week-old male ICR mice were divided into four groups: control, DSS, DSS+MT, and DSS+OXY. All mice, except those in the control group, were administered 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. During the DSS feeding period, the mice in the DSS+MT and DSS+OXY groups were orally administered MT water extract (5 g/kg body weight [BW]) or OXY (300 mg/kg BW) once daily. Results: OXY administration significantly suppressed the disease activity index, DSS-induced colonic pathophysiological changes, and the bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling index of colonic mucosal cells compared to the DSS and DSS+MT groups. The levels of plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and nitric oxide (NO), as well as colonic cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, were significantly decreased in the OXY group compared to the DSS group. Conclusion These findings suggest that OXY effectively improves mouse colitis by suppressing the colonic inflammatory response and may serve as a potential adjuvant treatment for colitis.

Purpose: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by inflammation arising in the colonic mucosa. Recently, the incidence of UC has been rapidly increasing due to Westernized lifestyles. If UC persists for a long time (more than 10 years), it is known to elevate the risk of colorectal cancer. In an earlier study, we reported that the mulberry twig (MT) water extract effectively alleviated colitis in mice. In this study, we isolated oxyresveratrol (OXY) from MT as a principal component and compared the anticolitis efficacy of the MT water extract and OXY in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colitis model. Methods: Six-week-old male ICR mice were divided into four groups: control, DSS, DSS+MT, and DSS+OXY. All mice, except those in the control group, were administered 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. During the DSS feeding period, the mice in the DSS+MT and DSS+OXY groups were orally administered MT water extract (5 g/kg body weight [BW]) or OXY (300 mg/kg BW) once daily. Results: OXY administration significantly suppressed the disease activity index, DSS-induced colonic pathophysiological changes, and the bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling index of colonic mucosal cells compared to the DSS and DSS+MT groups. The levels of plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and nitric oxide (NO), as well as colonic cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, were significantly decreased in the OXY group compared to the DSS group. Conclusion These findings suggest that OXY effectively improves mouse colitis by suppressing the colonic inflammatory response and may serve as a potential adjuvant treatment for colitis.

Nocardiosis is uncommon. Immunocompromising conditions predispose individuals to pulmonary and disseminated nocardiosis of the brain, skin, and subcutaneous tissues. The most common pathogens are Nocardia cyriacigeorgica, Nocardia nova, and Nocardia farcinica. The speciation of Nocardia to determine antimicrobial susceptibility is difficult using traditional biochemical methods. Here, we report the case of a 73-year-old man with chronic obstructive lung disease who developed a rapidly progressing intramuscular abscess around the left hip and thigh. Within 3 days, the lesions progressed to an epidural abscess at the L4 to S1 level. Although he was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and extensive incision and drainage, he died of rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Nocardia abscessus (N. abscessus) was identified in pus samples using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This case shows that the diagnosis of an intramuscular abscess caused by N. abscessus is challenging and that using MALDI-TOF MS may facilitate the diagnosis and ensure appropriate treatment.

Purpose: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by inflammation arising in the colonic mucosa. Recently, the incidence of UC has been rapidly increasing due to Westernized lifestyles. If UC persists for a long time (more than 10 years), it is known to elevate the risk of colorectal cancer. In an earlier study, we reported that the mulberry twig (MT) water extract effectively alleviated colitis in mice. In this study, we isolated oxyresveratrol (OXY) from MT as a principal component and compared the anticolitis efficacy of the MT water extract and OXY in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colitis model. Methods: Six-week-old male ICR mice were divided into four groups: control, DSS, DSS+MT, and DSS+OXY. All mice, except those in the control group, were administered 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. During the DSS feeding period, the mice in the DSS+MT and DSS+OXY groups were orally administered MT water extract (5 g/kg body weight [BW]) or OXY (300 mg/kg BW) once daily. Results: OXY administration significantly suppressed the disease activity index, DSS-induced colonic pathophysiological changes, and the bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling index of colonic mucosal cells compared to the DSS and DSS+MT groups. The levels of plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and nitric oxide (NO), as well as colonic cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, were significantly decreased in the OXY group compared to the DSS group. Conclusion These findings suggest that OXY effectively improves mouse colitis by suppressing the colonic inflammatory response and may serve as a potential adjuvant treatment for colitis.

Nocardiosis is uncommon. Immunocompromising conditions predispose individuals to pulmonary and disseminated nocardiosis of the brain, skin, and subcutaneous tissues. The most common pathogens are Nocardia cyriacigeorgica, Nocardia nova, and Nocardia farcinica. The speciation of Nocardia to determine antimicrobial susceptibility is difficult using traditional biochemical methods. Here, we report the case of a 73-year-old man with chronic obstructive lung disease who developed a rapidly progressing intramuscular abscess around the left hip and thigh. Within 3 days, the lesions progressed to an epidural abscess at the L4 to S1 level. Although he was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and extensive incision and drainage, he died of rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Nocardia abscessus (N. abscessus) was identified in pus samples using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This case shows that the diagnosis of an intramuscular abscess caused by N. abscessus is challenging and that using MALDI-TOF MS may facilitate the diagnosis and ensure appropriate treatment.

Nocardiosis is uncommon. Immunocompromising conditions predispose individuals to pulmonary and disseminated nocardiosis of the brain, skin, and subcutaneous tissues. The most common pathogens are Nocardia cyriacigeorgica, Nocardia nova, and Nocardia farcinica. The speciation of Nocardia to determine antimicrobial susceptibility is difficult using traditional biochemical methods. Here, we report the case of a 73-year-old man with chronic obstructive lung disease who developed a rapidly progressing intramuscular abscess around the left hip and thigh. Within 3 days, the lesions progressed to an epidural abscess at the L4 to S1 level. Although he was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and extensive incision and drainage, he died of rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Nocardia abscessus (N. abscessus) was identified in pus samples using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This case shows that the diagnosis of an intramuscular abscess caused by N. abscessus is challenging and that using MALDI-TOF MS may facilitate the diagnosis and ensure appropriate treatment.