Rikkunshito for Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Lung Cancer Patients: Results from 2 Prospective, Randomized Phase 2 Trials.

The herbal medicine rikkunshito has the potential to improve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) by stimulating ghrelin secretion. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rikkunshito in preventing CINV for patients with lung cancer. Two separate prospective, randomized, phase II parallel design studies were conducted in patients with lung cancer.

Evaluation of a Quantitative Serological Assay for Diagnosing Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of a quantitative Aspergillus IgG assay for diagnosing chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. We examined Aspergillus-specific IgG levels in patients who met the following criteria: (i) chronic (duration of >3 months) pulmonary or systemic symptoms, (ii) radiological evidence of a progressive (over months or years) pulmonary lesion with surrounding inflammation, and (iii) no major discernible immunocompromising factors. Anti-Aspergillus IgG serum levels were retrospectively analyzed according to defined classifications.

[Outpatient care of tuberculosis].

The outpatient care is important still more in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). The community DOTS is required, to accomplish the treatment of the TB patients those have various risks of treatment discontinuation. In this symposium, the several points are reported.

Influence of lymphatic invasion on locoregional recurrence following mastectomy: indication for postmastectomy radiotherapy for breast cancer patients with one to three positive nodes.

Purpose: The indication for postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in breast cancer patients with one to three positive lymph nodes has been in discussion. The purpose of this study was to identify patient groups for whom PMRT may be indicated, focusing on varied locoregional recurrence rates depending on lymphatic invasion (ly) status.

Methods And Materials: Retrospective analysis of 1,994 node-positive patients who had undergone mastectomy without postoperative radiotherapy between January 1990 and December 2000 at our hospital was performed.

Critical roles of mucin 1 glycosylation by transactivated polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 6 in mammary carcinogenesis.

The structure of O-glycosylated proteins is altered in breast cancer cells, but the mechanisms of such an aberrant modification have been largely unknown. We here report critical roles of a novel druggable target, polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 6 (GALNT6), which is upregulated in a great majority of breast cancers and encodes a glycosyltransferase responsible for initiating mucin-type O-glycosylation. Knockdown of GALNT6 by small interfering RNA significantly enhanced cell adhesion function and suppressed the growth of breast cancer cells.

Genomic screening for genes upregulated by demethylation revealed novel targets of epigenetic silencing in breast cancer.

Breast cancer arises through the accumulation of multiple genetic alterations and epigenetic changes such as methylation, which silences gene expression in a variety of cancers. In the present study, we applied genomic screening to identify genes upregulated by the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) in a human breast cancer cell line (MCF7). We identified 288 genes upregulated and 29 genes downregulated more than fivefold after treatment with DAC, and gene ontology analyses revealed the genes to be involved in immune responses, apoptosis, and cell differentiation.

[Evaluation of galactomannan antigen and beta-D-glucan value for diagnosis of chronic necrotizing pulmomary aspergillosis].

In order to establish the reliable cut-off value of galactomannan (GM) antigen as well as that for beta-D-glucan for CNPA diagnosis, we conducted the following study. From 2001 to 2008, in a total of 1511 patients we measured GM and anti-aspergillus antibody simultaneously. These patients had chronic pulmonary disease including old tuberculosis, nontuberculous mycobacteriosis, COPD, and had bullous lung, interstitial lung disease or were suspected to have suspected to have interstitial lung disease.

[Analysis of chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis (CNPA) cases complicated with non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM)].

Objective: To clarify the clinical feature of chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis (CNPA) complicated with non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM).

Subjects And Methods: Forty-one CNPA cases underlying NTM were analyzed according to their clinical backgrounds.

Results: Concerning the radiological type of prior NTM, CNPA cases were classified into two groups; 1) resembling pulmonary tuberculosis that usually shows cavitary lesion and 2) micronodule and bronchiectasis pattern, and more than half of cases (61.

Cytoplasmic RASSF2A is a proapoptotic mediator whose expression is epigenetically silenced in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer cells often show altered Ras signaling, though the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. We examined the expression profile of eight ras-association domain family (RASSF) genes plus MST1/2 and found that RASSF2A is the most frequently downregulated in gastric cancer. RASSF2A was completely silenced in 6 of 10 gastric cancer cell lines as a result of promoter methylation, and expression was restored by treating the cells with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine.

Frequent epigenetic inactivation of Wnt antagonist genes in breast cancer.

Although mutation of APC or CTNNB1 (beta-catenin) is rare in breast cancer, activation of Wnt signalling is nonetheless thought to play an important role in breast tumorigenesis, and epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonist genes, including the secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) and Dickkopf (DKK) families, has been observed in various tumours. In breast cancer, frequent methylation and silencing of SFRP1 was recently documented; however, altered expression of other Wnt antagonist genes is largely unknown. In the present study, we found frequent methylation of SFRP family genes in breast cancer cell lines (SFRP1, 7 out of 11, 64%; SFRP2, 11 out of 11, 100%; SFRP5, 10 out of 11, 91%) and primary breast tumours (SFRP1, 31 out of 78, 40%; SFRP2, 60 out of 78, 77%; SFRP5, 55 out of 78, 71%).

Gene amplification and overexpression of PRDM14 in breast cancers.

Several genes that encode PR (PRDI-BF1 and RIZ) domain proteins (PRDM) have been linked to human cancers. To explore the role of the PR domain family genes in breast carcinogenesis, we examined the expression profiles of 16 members of the PRDM gene family in a panel of breast cancer cell lines and primary breast cancer specimens using semiquantitative real-time PCR. We found that PRDM14 mRNA is overexpressed in about two thirds of breast cancers; moreover, immunohistochemical analysis showed that expression of PRDM14 protein is also up-regulated.

[Primary lung cancer with myocardial metastasis mimicking acute myocardial infarction].

A 78-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of chest and back pain. Fourteen months previously his chest X-ray showed a tumor shadow with cavitation in the left middle field. On admission cardiomegaly was found.

Plasma von Willebrand factor activities in vascular Parkinsonism: comparison with Parkinson's disease.

We measured the level of plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF), a marker of vascular endothelial damage, in patients with vascular parkinsonism (VP) to clarify whether the level of plasma vWF is useful in the diagnosis of VP. We examined 26 patients with VP, 26 with Parkinson's disease (PD), 26 with cerebral infarct (CI), and 26 age-matched normal controls (NC). The vWF was measured by the ristocetin cofactor assay.

Increased serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor in Mycobacterium avium complex infection.

Objective: Pulmonary infection caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is one of the granulomatous diseases which are associated with the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The aim of the present study was to clarify the association of VEGF with the pathogenesis of MAC infection.

Methodology: The serum VEGF levels in 46 patients with pulmonary MAC infection were compared with those in 16 normal control subjects.

Efficacy and outcomes of clarithromycin treatment for pulmonary MAC disease.

Setting: Retrospective review of patients with pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease treated with clarithromycin.

Objectives: To investigate whether the short-term response to treatment predicts long-term outcomes, and to analyse what explanatory variables are associated with the efficacy and outcome of treatment.

Design: Sputum conversion rates in short- and long-term outcomes were evaluated for 111 patients.

[The improvement of the enforcement rate of the standard regimen (A) of tuberculosis chemotherapy by the introduction of common database system for tuberculosis].

Objective: The purpose of this study was to improve the enforcement rate of the standard regimen (A) of tuberculosis chemotherapy. SUBJECTIVE AND METHODS: We introduced the common database system for tuberculosis in three national hospitals in Hokkaido. From January 2002 to December 2003, we collected the anonymous informations of the patients with tuberculosis at the start of treatment, at the discharge and at the end of treatment.

[Validity of measuring time to detect growth of M. tbc by BACTEC MGIT960 system for quantitation and prediction of mycobacterial growth].

Study Design: Time to detect growth of M. tbc by BACTEC MGIT960 system was examined in sputum specimens collected from 114 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis before and during antituberculosis therapy. By measuring TTD under chemotherapy, we tried to quantify mycobacterial growth and determine the sensitivity of MGIT system.

[Clinical analyses of Aspergillus infections in patients with underlying pulmonary disease].

To elucidate the clinical features of Aspergillus infections with underlying pulmonary disease, we analyzed 79 cases with positive results for anti-aspergillus antibody. The patients were 69 men and 10 women. Mean age at diagnosis was 68.

Molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis in the north Hokkaido district of Japan.

Setting: The incidence of tuberculosis in Japan has fallen rapidly in the past 50 years, to 27.9 cases per 100,000 population in 2001.

Objective: To assess the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis in the north Hokkaido district, Japan.

[A case of pulmonary cryptococcosis with multiple nodular shadows under treatment of bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP)].

A 66 year-old man was introduced to our hospital because of multiple infiltrative pulmonary shadows on February, 2001. We diagnosed bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP) from the clinical and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) findings, and initiated oral steroid therapy. Since the abnormal chest shadows disappeared, the dose of steroid was decreased and maintained at 10 mg/day.

Impaired interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) activity in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

We measured the activity of IL-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) of monocytes from pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum were collected from PTB patients (n = 16) and healthy subjects (n = 6). Serum IL-18 levels were significantly higher in PTB patients (515.

[Two cases of pulmonary Mycobacterium xenopi infection].

We report on two patients diagnosed as having Mycobacterium xenopi infections. Case 1 occurred in a 40-year-old man. His chest radiograph revealed a cavitary lesion with a granular shadow in the right upper lung field.

The diagnostic and prognostic relevance of human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA expression detected in situ in patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma.

Background: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic relevance of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) detected in situ in patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and to investigate the possible correlations between hTERT mRNA in NSCLC and the patients' clinicopathologic features, including survival.

Methods: hTERT mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization in 146 samples from patients with NSCLC. The signal intensity of hTERT mRNA expression was evaluated by two independent observers.

[An adult case of tuberculous meningitis].

A 36-year-old man was referred to our hospital with complaints of high fever and headache. A diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis with tuberculous meningitis was made. He was treated with isoniazid (400 mg/day), rifampicin (300 mg/day), ethambutol (750 mg/day), pyrazinamide (1.