Efficacy and safety of nivolumab and ipilimumab with or without chemotherapy for unresectable non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter retrospective observational study.

Introduction: Compared to platinum-based therapies, a combination of ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) and nivolumab (anti-PD-1) has demonstrated improved outcomes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), albeit with higher rates of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). This multicenter retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nivolumab and ipilimumab with or without chemotherapy (NI and NICT) in real-world clinical settings.

Methods: We enrolled 215 treatment-naïve NSCLC patients who received NI or NICT between December 2020 and May 2023 at 14 institutions in Japan.

Effect of concomitant use of esomeprazole on levodopa pharmacokinetics and clinical symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which inhibit gastric acid secretion, are frequently prescribed to patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Levodopa, the gold-standard treatment for PD, demonstrates enhanced solubility in acidic environments. Although PPIs increase gastric pH and may affect levodopa absorption, the effect of concomitant PPI use on levodopa pharmacokinetics in patients with PD remains unknown.

Optimization of oral entacapone administration in patients undergoing levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel treatment.

Background: Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment markedly reduces motor fluctuations in patients with Parkinson's disease; however, some patients undergoing LCIG treatment may demonstrate clinical deterioration in the afternoon. Entacapone, a catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor, may be a promising adjunctive option for LCIG-treated patients; however, the optimal timing of oral entacapone administration to ameliorate clinical symptoms in the afternoon remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the optimal timing of oral entacapone administration in patients with Parkinson's disease undergoing LCIG treatment.

Concomitant use of magnesium oxide significantly decreases absorption of levodopa preparations in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Constipation is one of the most frequent non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), and magnesium oxide (MgO) is a frequently used laxative. This study aimed to investigate the effect of concomitant use of MgO on the pharmacokinetics of levodopa preparations in patients with PD.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 35 patients with PD and compared the pharmacokinetics of levodopa and carbidopa and motor symptoms with and without MgO.

Serum GDF-15 Levels in Patients with Parkinson's Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and Multiple System Atrophy.

Serum growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) levels are elevated in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and may help differentiate these patients from healthy individuals. We aimed to clarify whether serum GDF-15 levels can help differentiate PD from atypical parkinsonian syndromes and determine the association between serum GDF-15 levels and clinical parameters. We prospectively enrolled 46, 15, and 12 patients with PD, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and multiple system atrophy (MSA), respectively.

Pseudo-outbreak of at a general hospital in Japan.

Background: is a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium that is widely distributed in soil and water systems, but it is sometimes pathogenic to humans. Although cases of infections are rare, 22 isolates of were identified at a single hospital in Japan. We suspected a nosocomial outbreak; thus, we conducted transmission pattern and genotype analyses.

Polysomnographic and Clinical Parameters before and after Zonisamide Therapy for Parkinson's Disease.

Objective Sleep disturbance is a common nonmotor symptom associated with a decreased quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we evaluated the effects of zonisamide on motor and non-motor symptomology in patients with PD, especially with respect to objective sleep assessments conducted via polysomnography. Methods We conducted a 12-week, open-label study to assess the effects of zonisamide.

[Clinical picture of patients with Parkinson's disease attending a regional core hospital in Ehime].

The number of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients has been increasing year by year in Japan. However, there are few reports that comprehensively evaluate the symptoms and treatment details of PD patients. We collected and analyzed information on PD patients regularly visiting the Department of Neurology at Saiseikai Matsuyama Hospital as of the end of October 2020.

The Eldest Female Case of Myasthenia Gravis with an Unusual Presentation: Aspiration Pneumonia as the Initial Manifestation.

We report the eldest female case of myasthenia gravis (MG) that initially presented with aspiration pneumonia. A 91-year-old female with a high-grade fever and general malaise who had suffered from expectoration for several years was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. Thorough medical history taking and physical examination suggested the possibility of MG as a cause of aspiration pneumonia.

Refractory Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vaccination in a Japanese Man.

Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been developed and administered worldwide. There have been reports of neurological adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). We herein report a case of refractory longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis in a 75-year-old Japanese man following the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine.

Fasting state is one of the factors associated with plasma levodopa fluctuations during levodopa‒carbidopa intestinal gel treatment.

Introduction: Some patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) undergoing levodopa‒carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment experience motor fluctuations in the afternoon. The migrating motor complex, a specific periodic migrating contraction pattern occurring in the stomach and small intestine during the fasting state, can affect drug absorption. We aimed to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters between two conditions (with and without lunch) and assessed the influence of the fasting state on the levodopa pharmacokinetics in LCIG treatment.

Three cases of rheumatoid meningitis with elevated CSF neopterin levels.

Rheumatoid meningitis (RM) is a rare but treatable central nervous system (CNS) manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with various clinical presentations and atypical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings. There are no established biomarkers for RM, making diagnosis a challenge. Herein, we present three cases of RM: two patients with RA diagnosis and one without.

A double-blind, randomized controlled trial of duloxetine for pain in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Duloxetine proved effective for treating pain in people with Parkinson's disease in a single-arm, open-label study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of duloxetine in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Methods: We randomly assigned 46 patients with Parkinson's disease with pain to either the duloxetine 40 mg/day arm or the placebo arm.

Cognitive and behavioral status in Japanese ALS patients: a multicenter study.

Objectives: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients may present with cognitive and behavioral abnormalities similar to frontotemporal dementia (FTD). In this multicenter study we examined Japanese ALS patients with and without FTD in order to characterize the full extent of cognitive and behavioral abnormalities, including associations with functional motor status, anxiety and depression.

Methods: Patients were evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised, spirometry, and verbal fluency tests.

Serum growth differentiation factor 15, but not lactate, is elevated in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is among the most frequently-occurring neurodegenerative diseases in humans. Although mitochondrial dysfunction is suggested to play a central role in PD pathogenesis, few studies have clinically evaluated mitochondrial function in PD patients. We therefore aimed to determine whether mitochondrial function is altered in PD patients by applying two approaches that are normally used for the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorder (MD).

Aberrant populations of circulating T follicular helper cells and regulatory B cells underlying idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: T follicular helper (Tfh) cells have been identified as a new category of helper T cells, which express CXCR5 on their surface and induce the production of antigen-specific antibodies. Many investigations have found morbid proliferation and/or activation of Tfh cells in systemic autoimmune and allergic diseases. It is also known that Tfh cells are regulated by regulatory B (Breg) cells in the deteriorating such diseases.

Activated circulating T follicular helper cells and skewing of T follicular helper 2 cells are down-regulated by treatment including an inhaled corticosteroid in patients with allergic asthma.

Background: CXCR5 T follicular helper (T) cells primarily promote B cells to produce an antigen-specific antibody through germinal centers (GCs). T cells exist in circulation, and circulating(c) T2 cells, a subset of cT cells, are able to help naïve B cells produce IgE in healthy individuals. Conversely, IL-10-producing regulatory B (Breg) cells inhibit an accelerated immune response.

Circulating PD-1CXCR5CD4 T cells underlying the immunological mechanisms of IgG4-related disease.

Objective: The aim was to study the pathological role of lymphocytes with a peripheral T helper-cell-like phenotype (PD-1CXCR5CD4) in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD).

Methods: PD-1CXCR5CD4 T cells in the blood of patients with IgG4-RD ( = 53), patients with SS ( = 16) and healthy volunteers ( = 34) as controls were analysed by flow cytometry. Correlations between results obtained by flow cytometry and clinical parameters relevant to IgG4-RD were also analysed.

Acromioclavicular joint arthritis as the first manifestation of Austrian syndrome.

Austrian syndrome is a rare condition caused by invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae, comprising a triad of pneumococcal meningitis, endocarditis, and pneumonia. Herein, we report a 59-year-old male patient who presented with fever and tenderness of the right shoulder. Although the initial diagnosis was acromioclavicular joint septic arthritis, the present case showed a reduced level of consciousness, pulmonary infiltrates, cerebral infarcts, and destruction of the mitral valve.