Publications by authors named "Atsushi Tomaru"

BACKGROUND Pembrolizumab, a programmed cell-death protein-1 (PD-1)-targeting antibody, extends survival in cancer patients but may cause lung injury as a side effect. This immunotherapy enhances the immune system's ability to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. However, its immunomodulatory action can sometimes lead to immune-related adverse events, including lung injury.

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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, often fatal lung disease characterized by tissue scarring and declining lung function. The promoter polymorphism rs35705950, a significant genetic predisposition for IPF, paradoxically associates with better survival and slower disease progression than other IPF genotypes. This study investigates the potential paradoxical protective effects of this variant in lung fibrosis.

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Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have recently become the standard of care in the first-line treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Although immune-related adverse events have been reported to influence prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer patients, few studies have investigated the prognostic value of immune-related adverse events in small cell lung cancer patients. In this study, we evaluated the prognosis of patients who developed immune-related adverse events after first-line treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitor-based chemotherapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

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Background: Coagulopathy is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Hypercoagulability in COVID-19 results in deep vein thrombosis, thromboembolic complications, and diffuse intravascular coagulation. Microbiome dysbiosis influences the clinical course of COVID-19.

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Article Synopsis
  • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a serious and progressive disease, and the role of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in this condition is not well understood.
  • A study using transgenic mice that overexpress MMP-2 showed reduced inflammation and fibrosis compared to regular mice after lung injury caused by bleomycin.
  • The findings suggest that MMP-2 helps protect against pulmonary fibrosis by decreasing cell death (apoptosis) in the lung's epithelial cells.
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Acute lung injury (ALI) is a clinical syndrome characterized by a diffuse lung inflammation that commonly evolves into acute respiratory distress syndrome and respiratory failure. The lung microbiota is involved in the pathogenesis of ALI. Corisin, a proapoptotic peptide derived from the lung microbiota, plays a role in ALI and acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis.

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Radiation-induced lung damage (RILD) is a critical problem in lung cancer radiotherapy, and it is difficult to predict its severity. Although no biomarkers for RILD have been established, tenascin C (TNC) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein involved in the remodeling of damaged tissues and has been implicated in inflammation and fibrosis. We report the unique case of a 36-year-old man with adenocarcinoma of the lung, Union for International Cancer Control stage IIIB, who was treated with radiotherapy before lung surgery.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study found that adding immune checkpoint inhibitors to chemotherapy effectively treats extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, but there's no proven second-line treatment for patients who have already received these therapies.* -
  • Researchers evaluated the safety and efficacy of amrubicin as a second-line treatment in 150 patients, comparing those previously treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors to those who weren't.* -
  • Results showed no significant differences in treatment effectiveness or adverse events between the two patient groups, indicating that prior immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment does not negatively impact amrubicin's efficacy or safety.*
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is an incurable disease of unknown etiology. Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is associated with high mortality. Excessive apoptosis of lung epithelial cells occurs in pulmonary fibrosis acute exacerbation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a serious lung disease with no known cause, and antifibrotic drugs like pirfenidone are used for treatment, although they can have significant side effects for some patients.
  • Researchers hypothesized that a low-dose form of pirfenidone delivered directly into the lungs could be just as effective as higher doses taken orally.
  • The study found that low-dose intranasal pirfenidone provided similar improvements in lung conditions as high-dose oral pirfenidone, suggesting it could be a powerful treatment option with potentially fewer side effects.
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and fatal disease of unknown etiology; however, apoptosis of lung alveolar epithelial cells plays a role in disease progression. This intractable disease is associated with increased abundance of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus in the lungs, yet their roles in disease pathogenesis remain elusive. Here, we report that Staphylococcus nepalensis releases corisin, a peptide conserved in diverse staphylococci, to induce apoptosis of lung epithelial cells.

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