Immune Stress-induced Tumor Mutation Burden and Neoantigen Expression in 4T1 Mammary Cancer Cells: A Potential Mechanism for Long-term Survival in Patients Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Background/aim: The Kaplan-Meier curves for patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) display a small group of potentially-cured patients with long-term survival, creating a 'kangaroo-tail' shape of the survival curve. However, the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon and what occurs in patients whose cancer is resistant to ICIs remain unclear. The present study aimed to answer these questions.

Chemotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors may overcome the detrimental effect of high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio prior to treatment in esophageal cancer patients.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a promising treatment option for esophageal cancer (EC). Although ICIs enable long-term survival in some patients, the efficacy of ICIs varies widely among patients. Therefore, predictive biomarkers are necessary for identifying patients who are most likely to benefit from ICIs to improve the efficacy of the treatment.

Regional Collaboration for Heart Failure Patients Certified as Needing Support or Care in Long-Term Care Insurance System.

Background: Heart failure (HF) patients with complex care needs often experience exacerbations during the transitional phase as care providers and settings change. Regional collaboration aims to ensure continuity of care; however, its impact on vulnerable patients certified as needing support or care under the Japanese long-term care insurance (LTCI) system remains unclear.

Methods And Results: We implemented a regional collaborative program for HF patients involving 3 pillars of transitional care with general practitioners and nursing care facilities: (1) standardized health monitoring using a patient diary and identification of exacerbation warning signs; (2) standardized information sharing among care providers; and (3) standardized HF management manuals.

Association of a Transitional Heart Failure Management Program With Readmission and End-of-Life Care in Rural Japan.

Evidence on transitional care for heart failure (HF) in Japan is limited. We implemented a transitional HF management program in rural Japan in 2019. This involved collaboration with general practitioners or nursing care facilities and included symptom monitoring by medical/nursing staff using a handbook; standardized discharge care planning and information sharing on self-care and advance care planning using a collaborative sheet; and sharing expertise on HF management via manuals.

Factors affecting the willingness of nursing care staffs for cooperation with heart failure care and the role of internet video education.

Background: With the aging of heart failure (HF) patients, collaboration between medical and nursing care facilities is essential for HF care. The aims of this study were: (1) to identify the factors that affect willingness of nursing care staffs to cooperate with HF care; (2) to test whether the internet video education is useful in improving their willingness to collaborate.

Methods: A web-based questionnaire was e-mailed to 417 registered medical corporations that operated nursing care facilities in the prefecture where the authors work.

Novel quantitative immunohistochemical analysis for evaluating PD-L1 expression with phosphor-integrated dots for predicting the efficacy of patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Introduction: Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor tissues is measured as a predictor of the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in many cancer types. PD-L1 expression is evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using 3,3´-diaminobenzidine (DAB) chronogenesis (IHC-DAB); however, quantitative and reproducibility issues remain. We focused on a highly sensitive quantitative immunohistochemical method using phosphor-integrated dots (PIDs), which are fluorescent nanoparticles, and evaluated PD-L1 expression between the PID method and conventional DAB method.

Differences in needs for community collaboration for heart failure between medical and nursing care staff.

The increased numbers of older and frail patients with heart failure (HF) means there is an urgent need to establish regional collaborative systems for medical and nursing care. However, expectations related to collaborative HF care among medical and care staff remain unclear. We conducted a questionnaire survey with staff in hospitals, clinics, and nursing care facilities (NCFs) who had experienced collaboration through the common HF collaborative pathway in the western region of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, from July 2019 to July 2020.